In 2025, fire departments serving Milford Center responded to 24 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $500K 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 71% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
90 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.3M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 16 | — | |
| 2022 | 14 | -12.5% | |
| 2023 | 17 | +21.4% | |
| 2024 | 19 | +11.8% | |
| 2025 | 24 | +26.3% |
For the 10 building fires Milford Center departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 23 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 | Other | 6 | 26.1% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 4 | 17.4% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 13.0% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Exterior, exposed surface | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Outside area, other | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 13.0% |
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 Milford Center mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 6 | 26.1% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 13.0% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 13.0% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Arcing | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 13.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Milford Center departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $90,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Milford Center sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 6 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 431 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 332 | 33.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 27.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 24 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 | 22.6 mi | |
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 49.6 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 Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Milford Center. 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.