In 2025, fire departments serving Johnstown responded to 150 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $500K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 68% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
623 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.8M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 112 | — | |
| 2022 | 131 | +17.0% | |
| 2023 | 104 | -20.6% | |
| 2024 | 126 | +21.2% | |
| 2025 | 150 | +19.0% |
For the 33 building fires Johnstown departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 119 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 | 24 | 20.2% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 15 | 12.6% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 15 | 12.6% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 8 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 6 | 5.0% | |
| 6 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 5 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 4 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 33 | 27.7% |
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 Johnstown mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 52 | 43.7% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 10 | 8.4% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 10 | 8.4% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 5.0% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 6 | 5.0% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 5.0% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 4 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 4 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Match | 4 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 14 | 11.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Johnstown departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $19,800 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $11,940 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Johnstown sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,332 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 | 46.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 171 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 37.3 mi | |
| 2013 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 53 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 24.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 41.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 31.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 35 | 36.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 35 | 36.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 40.1 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 Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Johnstown. 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.