In 2025, fire departments serving Newburgh Heights responded to 29 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $20K 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 66% of all calls.
Oct peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
194 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $83K cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 45 | — | |
| 2022 | 28 | -37.8% | |
| 2023 | 31 | +10.7% | |
| 2024 | 61 | +96.8% | |
| 2025 | 29 | -52.5% |
For the 1 building fires Newburgh Heights 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 | 15 | 31.9% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 12.8% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 10.6% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 8.5% | |
| 5 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Other | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 7 | Assembly or sales area, other | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 8 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 21.3% |
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 Newburgh Heights mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 10 | 21.3% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 14.9% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 7 | 14.9% | |
| 4 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 5 | 10.6% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 8 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 6.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Newburgh Heights departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Heat from short circuit (wiring), defective/worn | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Newburgh Heights sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 6 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 505 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 22.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 25 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 | 33.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 45.7 mi |
Top 4 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 Newburgh Heights. 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.