In 2025, fire departments serving Matewan responded to 29 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Aircraft standby lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 69% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
160 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $787K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21 | — | |
| 2022 | 28 | +33.3% | |
| 2023 | 35 | +25.0% | |
| 2024 | 47 | +34.3% | |
| 2025 | 29 | -38.3% |
For the 2 building fires Matewan departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 61 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 | 34.4% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 14.8% | |
| 3 | Wildland, woods | 6 | 9.8% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 6.6% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Vacant structural area | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 11.5% |
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 Matewan mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 43 | 70.5% | |
| 2 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 4 | 6.6% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 9 | Match | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 10 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 1.6% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Matewan sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 89,382 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 10,000 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 7,500 | 38.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 5,832 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,850 | 31.2 mi | |
| 1994 | Fireworks | 4,552 | 2.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,484 | 39.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,475 | 2.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Fireworks | 3,358 | 48.6 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,328 | 41.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,200 | 29.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Fireworks | 3,186 | 24.6 mi | |
| 1999 | Fireworks | 3,171 | 37.2 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 West Virginia cities with population within ±25% of Matewan. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Matewan.
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.