In 2025, fire departments serving Manchester responded to 25 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 92% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
204 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.1M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36 | — | |
| 2022 | 69 | +91.7% | |
| 2023 | 49 | -29.0% | |
| 2024 | 25 | -49.0% | |
| 2025 | 25 | +0.0% |
For the 17 building fires Manchester departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 87 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 | 15 | 17.2% | |
| 2 | Other | 11 | 12.6% | |
| 3 | Function area, other | 11 | 12.6% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 10.3% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 5 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Structural area, other | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 7 | Wall surface: exterior | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 8 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 18 | 20.7% |
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 Manchester mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 26 | 29.9% | |
| 2 | Match | 11 | 12.6% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 10 | 11.5% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 9 | 10.3% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 9.2% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 8 | 9.2% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 5.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Manchester departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $12,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $9,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Manchester sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 13,849 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 | 22.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,102 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 1,016 | 24.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 16.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 870 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 650 | 39.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 591 | 10.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 476 | 34.1 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 450 | 31.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 400 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 390 | 18.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 375 | 45.4 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 Manchester. 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.