In 2025, fire departments serving Mount Union responded to 23 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $150K 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 70% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
152 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $150K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48 | — | |
| 2022 | 35 | -27.1% | |
| 2023 | 24 | -31.4% | |
| 2024 | 22 | -8.3% | |
| 2025 | 23 | +4.5% |
For the 4 building fires Mount Union departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 26 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 | 5 | 19.2% | |
| 2 | Other | 3 | 11.5% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 11.5% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 7 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 8 | Egress/exit, other | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 15.4% |
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 Union mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 42.3% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 11.5% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 1 | 3.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Mount Union departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $1 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Mount Union sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 5,782 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 39.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 424 | 27.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 352 | 32.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 345 | 24.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 300 | 17.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 297 | 28.0 mi | |
| 2017 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 295 | 33.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 160 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 30.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 145 | 48.1 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 Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Mount Union. 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.