In 2025, fire departments serving Pennsboro responded to 28 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $20K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 89% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
227 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $619K cumulative property loss. 3 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 33 | — | |
| 2022 | 62 | +87.9% | |
| 2023 | 63 | +1.6% | |
| 2024 | 41 | -34.9% | |
| 2025 | 28 | -31.7% |
For the 3 building fires Pennsboro departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 61 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 | 36.1% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 12 | 19.7% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 8.2% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Fuel tank, fuel line | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 13.1% |
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 Pennsboro mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 27 | 44.3% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 15 | 24.6% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 6.6% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 10 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 1.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Pennsboro departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Pennsboro sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,337 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 236 | 40.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 147 | 7.8 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 130 | 22.2 mi | |
| 1995 | Equipment and vehicle use | 125 | 29.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 121 | 31.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 120 | 12.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 109 | 18.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Smoking | 102 | 23.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 100 | 34.1 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 42.3 mi | |
| 1995 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 16.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 98 | 40.4 mi |
Top 4 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six West Virginia cities with population within ±25% of Pennsboro. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Pennsboro.
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.