In 2025, fire departments serving Oley responded to 32 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 75% of all calls.
Jan peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
210 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $600K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 37 | — | |
| 2022 | 39 | +5.4% | |
| 2023 | 28 | -28.2% | |
| 2024 | 74 | +164.3% | |
| 2025 | 32 | -56.8% |
For the 5 building fires Oley departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 35 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 | 17 | 48.6% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 5 | Other | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 6 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 2.9% |
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 Oley mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 20 | 57.1% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Lightning | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 1 | 2.9% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Oley sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 7,006 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 935 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 848 | 28.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 741 | 10.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 470 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 328 | 45.2 mi | |
| 1995 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 325 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2020 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 308 | 38.8 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 282 | 38.7 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 263 | 38.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 258 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | 257 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 250 | 37.5 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 Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Oley. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Oley.
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.