In 2025, fire departments serving Newville responded to 34 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $124K 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 82% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
257 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $128K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 55 | — | |
| 2022 | 59 | +7.3% | |
| 2023 | 46 | -22.0% | |
| 2024 | 63 | +37.0% | |
| 2025 | 34 | -46.0% |
For the 12 building fires Newville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 34 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 | 14.7% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 4 | 11.8% | |
| 3 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Storage area, other | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 5 | Structural area, other | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 8 | Other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 23.5% |
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 Newville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 15 | 44.1% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 4 | 11.8% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Lightning | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 8 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 9 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Newville departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $123,700 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $4,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Newville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,237 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 | 43.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 935 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 424 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 345 | 41.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 300 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 145 | 45.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 40.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 90 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 74 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 72 | 9.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 70 | 38.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 70 | 36.8 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 Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Newville. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Newville.
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.