In 2025, fire departments serving Monaca responded to 65 fire and hazmat incidents . 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.
Apr peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
482 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 109 | — | |
| 2022 | 93 | -14.7% | |
| 2023 | 135 | +45.2% | |
| 2024 | 80 | -40.7% | |
| 2025 | 65 | -18.8% |
For the 20 building fires Monaca departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 76 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 | 13 | 17.1% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 9 | 11.8% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 7 | 9.2% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 5 | 6.6% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 4 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Function area, other | 4 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 10 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 22 | 28.9% |
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 Monaca mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 43 | 56.6% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 8 | 10.5% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 6.6% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 4 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 10 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 1.3% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Monaca sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,500 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 342 | 48.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 175 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 152 | 40.2 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 106 | 16.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 78 | 31.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 50.0 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 48 | 27.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 47 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 45 | 38.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 41 | 40.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 38 | 40.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 35 | 36.1 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 Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Monaca. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
4 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Monaca.
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.