In 2025, fire departments serving Oak Hill responded to 78 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $78K 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 65% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
295 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $862K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 40 | — | |
| 2022 | 39 | -2.5% | |
| 2023 | 38 | -2.6% | |
| 2024 | 100 | +163.2% | |
| 2025 | 78 | -22.0% |
For the 28 building fires Oak Hill departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 106 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 | 22 | 20.8% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 19 | 17.9% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 13 | 12.3% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 6.6% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 6 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 5 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Other | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Storage area, other | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 10 | Outside area, other | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 18 | 17.0% |
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 Oak Hill mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 60 | 56.6% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 6 | 5.7% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 5.7% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 5 | 4.7% | |
| 5 | Lightning | 5 | 4.7% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 9 | 8.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Oak Hill departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $77,990 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $40,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Oak Hill sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 12,639 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,865 | 36.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 1,016 | 33.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 650 | 44.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 500 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 476 | 25.1 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 450 | 29.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 448 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 400 | 26.8 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 390 | 41.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 366 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 355 | 35.0 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 Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Oak Hill. 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.