In 2025, fire departments serving Mount Jackson responded to 41 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $500K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Fire, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 49% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
179 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $883K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35 | — | |
| 2022 | 32 | -8.6% | |
| 2023 | 33 | +3.1% | |
| 2024 | 38 | +15.2% | |
| 2025 | 41 | +7.9% |
For the 2 building fires Mount Jackson departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 37 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 | 17 | 45.9% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 21.6% | |
| 3 | Other | 3 | 8.1% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - 5+ persons; including barrack/dormitory | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 7 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 1 | 2.7% |
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 Mount Jackson mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 21 | 56.8% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 7 | 18.9% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Backfire from internal combustion engine | 1 | 2.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Mount Jackson departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $200 | Trash or rubbish fire, contained | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $100 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Mount Jackson sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 70,827 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 16,021 | 20.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 10,326 | 29.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 6,131 | 22.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,200 | 16.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,717 | 15.9 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 2,743 | 21.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2,564 | 26.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 2,206 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 2,138 | 15.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Other causes | 1,989 | 25.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,935 | 6.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,800 | 36.1 mi |
Top 2 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Virginia cities with population within ±25% of Mount Jackson. 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.