In 2025, fire departments serving Olmsted Falls responded to 51 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $300K 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 73% of all calls.
May peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
377 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 74 | — | |
| 2022 | 82 | +10.8% | |
| 2023 | 75 | -8.5% | |
| 2024 | 95 | +26.7% | |
| 2025 | 51 | -46.3% |
For the 14 building fires Olmsted Falls departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 43 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 | 8 | 18.6% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 9.3% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 6 | Other | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Egress/exit, other | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 12 | 27.9% |
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 Olmsted Falls mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 15 | 34.9% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 5 | 11.6% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 5 | 11.6% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 9.3% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 9 | Chemical reaction | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 4.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Olmsted Falls departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $300,000 | Fire, other | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1,000 | Natural vegetation fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Olmsted Falls sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 8 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 545 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 | 35.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 25 | 34.9 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 | 37.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 38.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 34.4 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 33.9 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 Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Olmsted Falls. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Olmsted Falls.
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.