In 2025, fire departments serving Richfield responded to 65 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $136K 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 77% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
328 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 63 | — | |
| 2022 | 79 | +25.4% | |
| 2023 | 58 | -26.6% | |
| 2024 | 63 | +8.6% | |
| 2025 | 65 | +3.2% |
For the 23 building fires Richfield departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 46 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 12 | 26.1% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 10.9% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 4 | 8.7% | |
| 5 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 21.7% |
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 Richfield mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 19 | 41.3% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 10.9% | |
| 3 | Heat, spark from friction | 5 | 10.9% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 4 | 8.7% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Richfield departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $135,500 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $60,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $3,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Richfield sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 16 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 709 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 34.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 31.4 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 25 | 29.2 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 45.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 22 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 36.7 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 | 43.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 15 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 12 | 44.7 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 Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Richfield. 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.