In 2025, fire departments serving Lindale responded to 56 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 80% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
317 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52 | — | |
| 2022 | 80 | +53.8% | |
| 2023 | 64 | -20.0% | |
| 2024 | 65 | +1.6% | |
| 2025 | 56 | -13.8% |
For the 5 building fires Lindale departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 93 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 | 22 | 23.7% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 12 | 12.9% | |
| 3 | Wildland, woods | 10 | 10.8% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 9 | 9.7% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 9.7% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 5.4% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 4 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 15 | 16.1% |
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 Lindale mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 52 | 55.9% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 8 | 8.6% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 5.4% | |
| 4 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 5 | 5.4% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 3 | 3.2% | |
| 6 | Match | 3 | 3.2% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 9 | 9.7% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Lindale sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 31,801 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,321 | 26.1 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 3,000 | 31.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 2,836 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 2,083 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 29.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 39.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,636 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 1,448 | 28.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,350 | 23.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,281 | 43.6 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,078 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 907 | 14.0 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 Georgia cities with population within ±25% of Lindale. 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.