In 2025, fire departments serving Malta responded to 25 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $5K 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 76% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
63 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $308K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 9 | — | |
| 2022 | 8 | -11.1% | |
| 2023 | 9 | +12.5% | |
| 2024 | 12 | +33.3% | |
| 2025 | 25 | +108.3% |
For the 9 building fires Malta departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 22 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 27.3% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 18.2% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 3 | 13.6% | |
| 4 | Other | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Office | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Maintenance shop or area, paint shop or area | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 10 | Ceiling & floor assembly, crawl space b/t stories | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 9.1% |
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 Malta mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 10 | 45.5% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 3 | 13.6% | |
| 3 | Match | 2 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Incendiary device | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 4.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Malta departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | Arcing, shorted electrical equipment | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Malta sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,855 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 280 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 131 | 35.7 mi | |
| 1995 | Equipment and vehicle use | 125 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 41.3 mi | |
| 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 30.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Equipment and vehicle use | 70 | 41.3 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 60 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 22.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 55 | 38.4 mi | |
| 2013 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 53 | 20.6 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 Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Malta. 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.