In 2025, fire departments serving Parksley responded to 102 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $80K 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 70% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
451 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $2.4M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 91 | — | |
| 2022 | 98 | +7.7% | |
| 2023 | 68 | -30.6% | |
| 2024 | 92 | +35.3% | |
| 2025 | 102 | +10.9% |
For the 39 building fires Parksley departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 68 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 | 15 | 22.1% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 10 | 14.7% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 9 | 13.2% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 6 | 8.8% | |
| 5 | Other | 5 | 7.4% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Wall assembly | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Corridor, mall | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 12 | 17.6% |
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 Parksley mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 37 | 54.4% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 5 | 7.4% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 7.4% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 3 | 4.4% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 4.4% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 4.4% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 4.4% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 4.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Parksley departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $68,300 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $2,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Parksley sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 33,905 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 3,208 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,910 | 43.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,124 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,066 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,800 | 42.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,756 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,700 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,596 | 46.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,580 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,367 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,348 | 9.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,238 | 43.3 mi |
Top 8 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Virginia cities with population within ±25% of Parksley. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Parksley.
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.