In 2025, fire departments serving Kenbridge responded to 54 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K 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 61% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
224 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $2.6M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 37 | — | |
| 2022 | 37 | +0.0% | |
| 2023 | 50 | +35.1% | |
| 2024 | 46 | -8.0% | |
| 2025 | 54 | +17.4% |
For the 12 building fires Kenbridge departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 61 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 30 | 49.2% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 8 | 13.1% | |
| 3 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Other | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 9 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 10 | Interior stairway or ramp | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 14.8% |
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 Kenbridge mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 26 | 42.6% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 8 | 13.1% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 7 | 11.5% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 8.2% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Incendiary device | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Chemical reaction | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 6.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Kenbridge departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $120,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Kenbridge sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 10,920 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,850 | 33.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,030 | 44.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,250 | 28.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 865 | 4.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 821 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 545 | 25.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 223 | 23.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 176 | 32.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 172 | 43.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 170 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 157 | 22.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 23.7 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23944 | 223 |
Six Virginia cities with population within ±25% of Kenbridge. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Kenbridge.
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.