In 2025, fire departments serving Leechburg responded to 51 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $2K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 73% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
404 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $157K cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 105 | — | |
| 2022 | 82 | -21.9% | |
| 2023 | 109 | +32.9% | |
| 2024 | 57 | -47.7% | |
| 2025 | 51 | -10.5% |
For the 7 building fires Leechburg departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 62 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 | Outside area, other | 17 | 27.4% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 9.7% | |
| 3 | Other | 4 | 6.5% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 4 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 15 | 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 Leechburg mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arcing | 10 | 16.1% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 9 | 14.5% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 8 | 12.9% | |
| 4 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 8 | 12.9% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 6 | 9.7% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 9.7% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 6.5% | |
| 8 | Match | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 6.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Leechburg departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,500 | Special outside fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Leechburg sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,206 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 342 | 48.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 260 | 34.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 190 | 35.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 173 | 26.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 173 | 37.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 152 | 23.7 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 106 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 105 | 36.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 90 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 76 | 32.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 60 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 45 | 31.4 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 Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Leechburg. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Leechburg.
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.