In 2025, fire departments serving Morrison responded to 47 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K 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 62% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
249 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $2.8M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35 | — | |
| 2022 | 43 | +22.9% | |
| 2023 | 63 | +46.5% | |
| 2024 | 61 | -3.2% | |
| 2025 | 47 | -23.0% |
For the 12 building fires Morrison departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 86 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 | 29 | 33.7% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 10 | 11.6% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 8.1% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 6 | 7.0% | |
| 5 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 5 | 5.8% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 3.5% | |
| 8 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 3 | 3.5% | |
| 9 | Other | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 15 | 17.4% |
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 Morrison mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 56 | 65.1% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 7 | 8.1% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 4.7% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 3.5% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Backfire from internal combustion engine | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 5.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Morrison departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 91% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $50,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $25,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $25,000 | Fire in portable building, fixed location | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $15,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Morrison sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 29,060 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,480 | 27.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,080 | 27.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,035 | 32.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,018 | 38.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,747 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,560 | 25.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,167 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,120 | 35.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1,100 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,075 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,050 | 23.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 987 | 45.7 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 Tennessee cities with population within ±25% of Morrison. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Morrison.
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.