In 2025, fire departments serving McDermott responded to 26 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $40K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Vehicle accident, general cleanup lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 73% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
209 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $745K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48 | — | |
| 2022 | 64 | +33.3% | |
| 2023 | 30 | -53.1% | |
| 2024 | 41 | +36.7% | |
| 2025 | 26 | -36.6% |
For the 5 building fires McDermott departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 35 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 | 8 | 22.9% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Interior stairway or ramp | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 28.6% |
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 McDermott mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 45.7% | |
| 2 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Molten, hot material | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by McDermott departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $30,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $25,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. McDermott sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 13,459 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,865 | 12.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 1,016 | 7.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 23.1 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 870 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 650 | 32.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 591 | 27.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 500 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 476 | 9.3 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 450 | 11.1 mi | |
| 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 400 | 9.3 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 390 | 17.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 366 | 18.5 mi |
Top 4 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Ohio cities with population within ±25% of McDermott. 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.