In 2025, fire departments serving New Albany responded to 145 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $150K building blaze. 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 64% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
553 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $622K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 82 | — | |
| 2022 | 90 | +9.8% | |
| 2023 | 101 | +12.2% | |
| 2024 | 135 | +33.7% | |
| 2025 | 145 | +7.4% |
For the 20 building fires New Albany departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 101 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 18 | 17.8% | |
| 2 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 14 | 13.9% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 12 | 11.9% | |
| 4 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 11 | 10.9% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 24 | 23.8% |
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 New Albany mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 32 | 31.7% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 14 | 13.9% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 12 | 11.9% | |
| 4 | Chemical reaction | 8 | 7.9% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 7 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 5 | 5.0% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 4.0% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 4 | 4.0% | |
| 9 | Sunlight | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Heat source: other | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 10 | 9.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by New Albany departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $150,000 | Fire in portable building, fixed location | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $69,995 | Self-propelled motor home or recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $45,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $11,100 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $6,700 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $6,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. New Albany sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,672 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 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 332 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 171 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2013 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 53 | 48.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 24.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 39.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 36.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 35 | 33.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 35 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 39.0 mi |
Top 5 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Ohio cities with population within ±25% of New Albany. 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.