In 2025, fire departments serving Loudonville responded to 49 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K 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 55% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
216 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $384K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 32 | — | |
| 2022 | 37 | +15.6% | |
| 2023 | 45 | +21.6% | |
| 2024 | 53 | +17.8% | |
| 2025 | 49 | -7.5% |
For the 7 building fires Loudonville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 56 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 | 15 | 26.8% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 7 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 8.9% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 8.9% | |
| 5 | Other | 4 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 5.4% | |
| 7 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 5.4% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 14.3% |
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 Loudonville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 25 | 44.6% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 8 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 6 | 10.7% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 3 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 5.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Loudonville departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $35,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Loudonville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,027 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 171 | 6.0 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 28.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 41.4 mi | |
| 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 35 | 28.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 17.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 26.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 50.0 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 | 49.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 28.7 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44842 | 216 |
Six Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Loudonville. 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.