In 2025, fire departments serving Philpot responded to 37 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $500K 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 84% of all calls.
Mar peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
138 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 18 | — | |
| 2022 | 39 | +116.7% | |
| 2023 | 24 | -38.5% | |
| 2024 | 20 | -16.7% | |
| 2025 | 37 | +85.0% |
For the 18 building fires Philpot departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 49 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 | 13 | 26.5% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 8 | 16.3% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 12.2% | |
| 4 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 9 | Other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 18.4% |
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 Philpot mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 21 | 42.9% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 13 | 26.5% | |
| 3 | Lightning | 4 | 8.2% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Philpot departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Philpot sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 12,021 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,400 | 30.2 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 1,200 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,050 | 29.3 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 716 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 584 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 570 | 31.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 517 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 32.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 450 | 31.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 418 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 28.9 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42366 | 138 |
Six Kentucky cities with population within ±25% of Philpot. 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.