In 2025, fire departments serving Kenova responded to 30 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $80K 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 63% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
175 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.4M cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 39 | — | |
| 2022 | 31 | -20.5% | |
| 2023 | 35 | +12.9% | |
| 2024 | 40 | +14.3% | |
| 2025 | 30 | -25.0% |
For the 7 building fires Kenova departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 66 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 | 9 | 13.6% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 9 | 13.6% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 8 | 12.1% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 4 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Function area, other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 10 | Corridor, mall | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 16 | 24.2% |
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 Kenova mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 31 | 47.0% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 5 | 7.6% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 7.6% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 5 | 7.6% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 9.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Kenova departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $25,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $800 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Kenova sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 43,853 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,328 | 47.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,082 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,865 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,250 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,200 | 38.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,090 | 36.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,000 | 30.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,934 | 32.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,880 | 49.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,769 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,739 | 36.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,678 | 36.8 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 Kenova. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Kenova.
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.