In 2025, fire departments serving Montgomery responded to 13 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 85% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
99 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21 | — | |
| 2022 | 19 | -9.5% | |
| 2023 | 24 | +26.3% | |
| 2024 | 22 | -8.3% | |
| 2025 | 13 | -40.9% |
For the 4 building fires Montgomery departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 2 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 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 1 | 50.0% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 50.0% |
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 Montgomery mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 50.0% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 1 | 50.0% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Montgomery sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 696 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 125 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 57 | 27.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 25.4 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 45 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 45 | 41.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 40.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 21.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 | 32.6 mi | |
| 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 25 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 20 | 35.4 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 Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Montgomery. 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.