In 2025, fire departments serving New Cumberland responded to 43 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $20K 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. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
355 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $365K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 44 | — | |
| 2022 | 53 | +20.5% | |
| 2023 | 115 | +117.0% | |
| 2024 | 100 | -13.0% | |
| 2025 | 43 | -57.0% |
For the 11 building fires New Cumberland departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 66 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 | 13 | 19.7% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 12 | 18.2% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 9 | 13.6% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 10.6% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 5 | 7.6% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 4 | 6.1% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Vacant structural area | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 10.6% |
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 New Cumberland mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 19 | 28.8% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 10 | 15.2% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 10.6% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 9.1% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 8 | 12.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by New Cumberland departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $3,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $3,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. New Cumberland sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 995 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 175 | 31.1 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 106 | 32.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 78 | 22.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 32.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 49 | 44.1 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 48 | 12.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 35 | 22.7 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 31 | 24.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 7.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 33.4 mi |
Top 3 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six West Virginia cities with population within ±25% of New Cumberland. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in New Cumberland.
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.