In 2025, fire departments serving Inwood responded to 132 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Vehicle accident, general cleanup lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 77% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
621 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.6M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 112 | — | |
| 2022 | 128 | +14.3% | |
| 2023 | 118 | -7.8% | |
| 2024 | 131 | +11.0% | |
| 2025 | 132 | +0.8% |
For the 28 building fires Inwood departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 110 building fires investigators classified across 2021–2025. The room or location where ignition occurred — kitchens, bedrooms, exterior, vehicle areas — tells you where to focus prevention.
| # | Area of origin | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 37 | 33.6% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 14 | 12.7% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 8 | 7.3% | |
| 4 | Other | 7 | 6.4% | |
| 5 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 5 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Storage area, other | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 26 | 23.6% |
NFIRS Heat Source (HEAT_SOURC) — the physical thing that started it. Spark or ember from operating equipment, an open flame, smoking materials, or hot embers from a fireplace are the leading culprits nationwide. Here's the Inwood mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 66 | 60.0% | |
| 2 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 8 | 7.3% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 7 | 6.4% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 5.5% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Candle | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Heat source: other | 1 | 0.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 4.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Inwood departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $6,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $2,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Inwood sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 14,149 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Natural | 2,138 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Other causes | 1,989 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 1,200 | 36.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 25.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 888 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Recreation and ceremony | 755 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 745 | 46.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 610 | 36.3 mi | |
| 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | 608 | 43.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Smoking | 467 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 44.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Recreation and ceremony | 405 | 19.4 mi |
Top 4 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six West Virginia cities with population within ±25% of Inwood. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Inwood.
A 30-minute weekend can cut your home's exposure substantially. These four checklists are a good starting point.
Numbers reflect incidents reported by participating fire departments to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) Public Data Release for calendar year 2025. NFIRS is voluntary — about 23,000 of roughly 30,000 US fire departments report — so totals are a strong indicator, not a complete census. Per-capita comparisons use 2023 ACS population estimates. Wildland fire data complements NFIRS with NIFC and USFS perimeters. Active-fire counts come from a dated NIFC snapshot, not a live feed.