In 2025, fire departments serving Philo responded to 14 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $15K 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 93% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
84 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $566K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 14 | — | |
| 2022 | 25 | +78.6% | |
| 2023 | 14 | -44.0% | |
| 2024 | 17 | +21.4% | |
| 2025 | 14 | -17.6% |
For the 4 building fires Philo departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 37 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 | 19 | 51.4% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 10.8% | |
| 3 | Other | 3 | 8.1% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 3 | 8.1% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 7 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Conduit, pipe, utility, or ventilation shaft | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Structural area, other | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 1 | 2.7% |
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 Philo mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 23 | 62.2% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 10.8% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 8.1% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 3 | 8.1% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 5.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Philo departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Philo sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,400 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 | 150 | 28.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 131 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 28.7 mi | |
| 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 18.6 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 27.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 55 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2013 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 53 | 28.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 27.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 13.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 10.0 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 36.0 mi |
Top 2 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Philo. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
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.