In 2025, fire departments serving Marlinton responded to 31 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $10K 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 65% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
130 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $13K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21 | — | |
| 2022 | 26 | +23.8% | |
| 2023 | 24 | -7.7% | |
| 2024 | 28 | +16.7% | |
| 2025 | 31 | +10.7% |
For the 7 building fires Marlinton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 43 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 | 7 | 16.3% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 5 | 11.6% | |
| 3 | Structural area, other | 4 | 9.3% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 9.3% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 7 | Other | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 9 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 10 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 20.9% |
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 Marlinton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 25 | 58.1% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 4 | 9.3% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 5 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Chemical, natural heat source, other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 4.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Marlinton departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $2,500 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $500 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Marlinton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 54,998 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 15,454 | 35.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 11,381 | 32.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Fireworks | 7,351 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 3,200 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,058 | 39.8 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,800 | 34.4 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,678 | 42.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,676 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,070 | 32.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 894 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 879 | 25.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 702 | 47.9 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 | 24954 | 130 |
Six West Virginia cities with population within ±25% of Marlinton. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Marlinton.
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.