In 2025, fire departments serving Lynchburg responded to 32 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $16K 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 66% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
235 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $112K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 53 | — | |
| 2022 | 49 | -7.5% | |
| 2023 | 61 | +24.5% | |
| 2024 | 40 | -34.4% | |
| 2025 | 32 | -20.0% |
For the 8 building fires Lynchburg departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 67 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 | 29 | 43.3% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 11 | 16.4% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 5 | 7.5% | |
| 4 | Other | 4 | 6.0% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Conduit, pipe, utility, or ventilation shaft | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Egress/exit, other | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 10 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 9.0% |
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 Lynchburg mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 49 | 73.1% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 4 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 10 | Molten, hot material | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 9.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Lynchburg departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $16,400 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $3,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Lynchburg sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 6,320 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,865 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 1,016 | 43.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 591 | 48.6 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 390 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 130 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 125 | 8.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Smoking | 100 | 46.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Recreation and ceremony | 95 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 26.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 65 | 41.0 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 Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Lynchburg. 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.