In 2025, fire departments serving Mount Sterling responded to 30 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 70% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
159 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $20K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 23 | — | |
| 2022 | 28 | +21.7% | |
| 2023 | 40 | +42.9% | |
| 2024 | 38 | -5.0% | |
| 2025 | 30 | -21.1% |
For the 3 building fires Mount Sterling departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 47 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 | Outside area, other | 9 | 19.1% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 5 | 10.6% | |
| 3 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 4 | 8.5% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 8.5% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 7 | Other | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 23.4% |
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 Mount Sterling mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 23 | 48.9% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 10.6% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 6 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 6.4% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Mount Sterling sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,736 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 355 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 280 | 42.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 125 | 45.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Smoking | 100 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 90 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 32.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2020 | Smoking | 50 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 47 | 48.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 46 | 40.4 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 43143 | 159 |
Six Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Mount Sterling. 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.