In 2025, fire departments serving Martins Ferry responded to 50 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 66% of all calls.
Jul peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
228 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $300 cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 43 | — | |
| 2022 | 33 | -23.3% | |
| 2023 | 57 | +72.7% | |
| 2024 | 45 | -21.1% | |
| 2025 | 50 | +11.1% |
For the 9 building fires Martins Ferry departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 55 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 | 32 | 58.2% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 6 | 10.9% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 5 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Other | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Interior stairway or ramp | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 3.6% |
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 Martins Ferry mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 44 | 80.0% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Sunlight | 1 | 1.8% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Martins Ferry sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,429 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 175 | 41.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Smoking | 102 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 25.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 78 | 46.5 mi | |
| 1999 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 71 | 43.7 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 62 | 49.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 46.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 43.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 55 | 47.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 47.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 49 | 15.6 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 | 43935 | 228 |
Six Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Martins Ferry. 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.