In 2025, fire departments serving Marion responded to 52 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $15K 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 62% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
367 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $815K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 49 | — | |
| 2022 | 109 | +122.4% | |
| 2023 | 76 | -30.3% | |
| 2024 | 81 | +6.6% | |
| 2025 | 52 | -35.8% |
For the 9 building fires Marion departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 97 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 | 21 | 21.6% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 13 | 13.4% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 9 | 9.3% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 8 | 8.2% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 8 | 8.2% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 7.2% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 9 | Entrance way, lobby | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 19 | 19.6% |
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 Marion mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 35 | 36.1% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 15 | 15.5% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 12 | 12.4% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Match | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Conducted heat from another fire | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 11 | 11.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Marion departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $500 | Grass fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Marion sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 7,433 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,300 | 44.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,000 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 517 | 37.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 45.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 275 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 271 | 37.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 250 | 24.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 234 | 27.1 mi | |
| 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | 225 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 221 | 24.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 205 | 42.1 mi |
Top 5 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Kentucky cities with population within ±25% of Marion. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Marion.
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.