In 2025, fire departments serving Red Boiling Springs responded to 39 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $744K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Aircraft standby lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 64% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Mar dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
212 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $2.0M cumulative property loss. 3 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 29 | — | |
| 2022 | 53 | +82.8% | |
| 2023 | 59 | +11.3% | |
| 2024 | 32 | -45.8% | |
| 2025 | 39 | +21.9% |
For the 7 building fires Red Boiling Springs departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 73 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 | 33 | 45.2% | |
| 2 | Other | 12 | 16.4% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 7 | 9.6% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Structural area, other | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 4.1% |
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 Red Boiling Springs mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 48 | 65.8% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 7 | 9.6% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 4 | Lightning | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 10 | Arcing | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 2.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Red Boiling Springs departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $743,500 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $20,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $12,900 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $4,000 | Fire in portable building, fixed location | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $2,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Red Boiling Springs sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 16,117 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,646 | 41.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,214 | 40.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,000 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 960 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 845 | 39.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 800 | 28.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 652 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 527 | 45.9 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 457 | 22.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 450 | 47.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 370 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 44.4 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 Tennessee cities with population within ±25% of Red Boiling Springs. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
4 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Red Boiling Springs.
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.