In 2025, fire departments serving Muscle Shoals responded to 55 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $8K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Grass fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 46% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
202 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $45K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 27 | — | |
| 2022 | 27 | +0.0% | |
| 2023 | 49 | +81.5% | |
| 2024 | 44 | -10.2% | |
| 2025 | 55 | +25.0% |
For the 1 building fires Muscle Shoals departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 52 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 | 32.7% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 12 | 23.1% | |
| 3 | Other | 5 | 9.6% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 9.6% |
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 Muscle Shoals mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 28 | 53.8% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 9.6% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 4 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Cigarette | 4 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 6 | Match | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 8 | Arcing | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Backfire from internal combustion engine | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 5.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Muscle Shoals departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $8,000 | Special outside fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $4,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $3,000 | Special outside fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $3,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Muscle Shoals sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 15,597 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,003 | 30.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,344 | 38.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,163 | 31.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,014 | 24.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 919 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 900 | 40.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 706 | 18.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 702 | 27.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 608 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 520 | 12.6 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 516 | 45.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 479 | 39.5 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 Alabama cities with population within ±25% of Muscle Shoals. 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.