In 2025, fire departments serving Morehead responded to 38 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $90K 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 63% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
251 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 54 | — | |
| 2022 | 52 | -3.7% | |
| 2023 | 34 | -34.6% | |
| 2024 | 73 | +114.7% | |
| 2025 | 38 | -47.9% |
For the 13 building fires Morehead departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 71 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 | 14 | 19.7% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 11.3% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 7 | 9.9% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 6 | 8.5% | |
| 5 | Other | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 10 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 19 | 26.8% |
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 Morehead mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 32 | 45.1% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 11.3% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 8.5% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 7.0% | |
| 5 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Match | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 7 | 9.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Morehead departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $90,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $30,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $8,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Morehead sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 44,345 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 7,500 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 3,500 | 46.9 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,000 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,865 | 36.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 2,200 | 46.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,100 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,000 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,000 | 47.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,700 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,640 | 28.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,600 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,500 | 48.7 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 Kentucky cities with population within ±25% of Morehead. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
4 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Morehead.
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.