In 2025, fire departments serving Peterstown responded to 28 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $125K 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 82% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
195 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.2M cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51 | — | |
| 2022 | 39 | -23.5% | |
| 2023 | 25 | -35.9% | |
| 2024 | 52 | +108.0% | |
| 2025 | 28 | -46.2% |
For the 8 building fires Peterstown 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 | 12 | 34.3% | |
| 2 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Multiple areas | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 14.3% |
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 Peterstown mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 26 | 74.3% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Molten, hot material | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Conducted heat from another fire | 1 | 2.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Peterstown departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $125,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $25,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $18,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $12,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $2,500 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Peterstown sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 56,723 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 11,381 | 41.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Fireworks | 7,351 | 43.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,990 | 45.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,484 | 49.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Fireworks | 3,358 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,859 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2,738 | 37.2 mi | |
| 1995 | Smoking | 2,151 | 34.3 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,678 | 43.1 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,531 | 45.1 mi | |
| 2013 | Smoking | 1,509 | 46.1 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,485 | 47.8 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 West Virginia cities with population within ±25% of Peterstown. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Peterstown.
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.