In 2025, fire departments serving Morgantown responded to 41 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K 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 58% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
192 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $172K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 32 | — | |
| 2022 | 24 | -25.0% | |
| 2023 | 50 | +108.3% | |
| 2024 | 45 | -10.0% | |
| 2025 | 41 | -8.9% |
For the 11 building fires Morgantown departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 43 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 | 10 | 23.3% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 8 | 18.6% | |
| 3 | Other | 6 | 14.0% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 11.6% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 6 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 9.3% |
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 Morgantown mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 14 | 32.6% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 9 | 20.9% | |
| 3 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 6 | 14.0% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 9.3% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Candle | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Morgantown departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1 | Outside rubbish fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Morgantown sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,529 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,549 | 10.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 165 | 12.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 156 | 12.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 47 | 30.0 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 47 | 22.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 40 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 43.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Recreation and ceremony | 37 | 20.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 35 | 22.3 mi | |
| 1997 | Arson/incendiarism | 34 | 26.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 28.6 mi |
Top 4 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Indiana cities with population within ±25% of Morgantown. 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.