In 2025, fire departments serving Lexington responded to 26 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $70K 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 69% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
208 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $407K cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48 | — | |
| 2022 | 55 | +14.6% | |
| 2023 | 34 | -38.2% | |
| 2024 | 45 | +32.4% | |
| 2025 | 26 | -42.2% |
For the 6 building fires Lexington departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 60 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 | 17 | 28.3% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 12 | 20.0% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 5 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 4 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Other | 3 | 5.0% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 5.0% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 8.3% |
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 Lexington mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 31 | 51.7% | |
| 2 | Match | 11 | 18.3% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 4 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 5.0% | |
| 5 | Fireworks | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 5.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Lexington departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $70,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $2,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $200 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Lexington sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 23 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,061 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 | 36.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 171 | 13.9 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 35 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 33.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 39.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 42.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 | 40.3 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 25 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 | 21.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 22.1 mi |
Top 5 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 Lexington. 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.