In 2025, fire departments serving McCormick responded to 38 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K 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 55% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
188 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $998K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 39 | — | |
| 2022 | 44 | +12.8% | |
| 2023 | 41 | -6.8% | |
| 2024 | 26 | -36.6% | |
| 2025 | 38 | +46.2% |
For the 8 building fires McCormick departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 46 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 | 11 | 23.9% | |
| 2 | Other | 7 | 15.2% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 5 | 10.9% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Vacant structural area | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 21.7% |
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 McCormick mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 21 | 45.7% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 7 | 15.2% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 6.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by McCormick departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $18,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,000 | Grass fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $750 | Grass fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. McCormick sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 6,349 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Debris and open burning | 950 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 547 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 310 | 21.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 301 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 34.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Natural | 277 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 250 | 47.9 mi | |
| 2002 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 250 | 36.7 mi | |
| 1997 | Natural | 234 | 36.1 mi | |
| 1993 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 225 | 40.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 225 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 220 | 34.4 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 South Carolina cities with population within ±25% of McCormick. 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.