In 2025, fire departments serving Jackson Center responded to 22 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $115K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 82% of all calls.
Dec peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
160 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.7M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21 | — | |
| 2022 | 57 | +171.4% | |
| 2023 | 27 | -52.6% | |
| 2024 | 33 | +22.2% | |
| 2025 | 22 | -33.3% |
For the 9 building fires Jackson Center departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 31 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 | 9 | 29.0% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 16.1% | |
| 3 | Other | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 4 | Egress/exit, other | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 7 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 8 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 12.9% |
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 Jackson Center mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 51.6% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Chemical reaction | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 7 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Radiated heat from another fire | 1 | 3.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Jackson Center departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $115,350 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,800 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Jackson Center sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 3 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 372 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 332 | 43.2 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 26.7 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 | 38.2 mi |
Top 3 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Jackson Center. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
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.