In 2025, fire departments serving McDonald responded to 20 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $25K 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 75% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
131 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $155K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 22 | — | |
| 2022 | 34 | +54.5% | |
| 2023 | 33 | -2.9% | |
| 2024 | 22 | -33.3% | |
| 2025 | 20 | -9.1% |
For the 6 building fires McDonald departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 24 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 | Outside area, other | 7 | 29.2% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 20.8% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 3 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Wall assembly | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 10 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 1 | 4.2% |
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 McDonald mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 45.8% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Match | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 4.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by McDonald departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $2,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. McDonald sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,682 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 342 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 175 | 46.9 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 106 | 27.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 78 | 28.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 47 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 41 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 38 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 35 | 34.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 38.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 44.9 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 Ohio cities with population within ±25% of McDonald. 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.