In 2025, fire departments serving Paoli responded to 19 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $55K 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 63% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
128 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $450K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 27 | — | |
| 2022 | 22 | -18.5% | |
| 2023 | 27 | +22.7% | |
| 2024 | 33 | +22.2% | |
| 2025 | 19 | -42.4% |
For the 5 building fires Paoli departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 41 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 | 41.5% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 14.6% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 9.8% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 4 | 9.8% | |
| 5 | Other | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Exterior, exposed surface | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 1 | 2.4% |
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 Paoli mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 25 | 61.0% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 4 | 9.8% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Paoli departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $55,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Paoli sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,886 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 716 | 47.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 418 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 365 | 42.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 356 | 46.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 300 | 47.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 49.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 157 | 20.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 144 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 98 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 95 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 77 | 5.8 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 47454 | 128 |
Six Indiana cities with population within ±25% of Paoli. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Paoli.
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.