In 2025, fire departments serving Marmet responded to 34 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $120K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 71% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
179 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $591K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 32 | — | |
| 2022 | 22 | -31.2% | |
| 2023 | 40 | +81.8% | |
| 2024 | 51 | +27.5% | |
| 2025 | 34 | -33.3% |
For the 7 building fires Marmet departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 60 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 | 14 | 23.3% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 11 | 18.3% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 11.7% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 10.0% | |
| 5 | Other | 5 | 8.3% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 8.3% |
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 Marmet mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 46 | 76.7% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 5.0% | |
| 3 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 5.0% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 8 | Fireworks | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 1 | 1.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Marmet departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $120,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $68,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $4,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Marmet sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 61,651 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Fireworks | 4,637 | 15.5 mi | |
| 1999 | Fireworks | 3,706 | 24.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,484 | 28.9 mi | |
| 1999 | Fireworks | 3,358 | 23.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,328 | 13.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Fireworks | 3,186 | 38.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Fireworks | 3,171 | 20.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,082 | 21.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,859 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,533 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,250 | 23.5 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,233 | 40.3 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 West Virginia cities with population within ±25% of Marmet. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Marmet.
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.