In 2025, fire departments serving Linden responded to 39 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $450K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Fire, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 72% of all calls.
Dec peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
115 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.8M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20 | — | |
| 2022 | 17 | -15.0% | |
| 2023 | 22 | +29.4% | |
| 2024 | 17 | -22.7% | |
| 2025 | 39 | +129.4% |
For the 7 building fires Linden departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 55 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 | 7 | 12.7% | |
| 2 | Other | 6 | 10.9% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 10.9% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 7.3% | |
| 5 | Function area, other | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 7 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 10 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 14 | 25.5% |
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 Linden mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat source: other | 24 | 43.6% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 9 | 16.4% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 12.7% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 7 | 12.7% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 6 | Match | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 8 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 1.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Linden departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $450,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $130,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $100,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $30,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $25,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $10,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Linden sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 8,099 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 900 | 28.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 702 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 585 | 7.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 516 | 18.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 390 | 30.9 mi | |
| 1997 | Arson/incendiarism | 350 | 45.7 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 331 | 34.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 330 | 16.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 312 | 23.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 48.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 300 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 264 | 6.3 mi |
Top 2 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Tennessee cities with population within ±25% of Linden. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
5 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Linden.
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.