In 2025, fire departments serving Philippi responded to 51 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $60K 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.
Mar peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
385 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.3M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 87 | — | |
| 2022 | 67 | -23.0% | |
| 2023 | 94 | +40.3% | |
| 2024 | 86 | -8.5% | |
| 2025 | 51 | -40.7% |
For the 16 building fires Philippi departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 80 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 | 44 | 55.0% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 10.0% | |
| 3 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 6 | 7.5% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 7.5% | |
| 5 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 4 | 5.0% | |
| 6 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 7 | Other | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 8 | Interior stairway or ramp | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 7.5% |
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 Philippi mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 59 | 73.8% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 7.5% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 4 | 5.0% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 5 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 9 | Match | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 1.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Philippi departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $60,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $60,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $60,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $2,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Philippi sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 7,674 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,800 | 44.3 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,611 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2019 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,289 | 45.9 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 428 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Smoking | 394 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2017 | Recreation and ceremony | 197 | 43.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 150 | 20.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 33.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 147 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 125 | 21.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 121 | 36.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 120 | 39.1 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 Philippi. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Philippi.
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.