In 2025, fire departments serving Richland responded to 18 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 67% of all calls.
Sep peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
123 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $92K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 27 | — | |
| 2022 | 29 | +7.4% | |
| 2023 | 27 | -6.9% | |
| 2024 | 22 | -18.5% | |
| 2025 | 18 | -18.2% |
For the 7 building fires Richland departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 19 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 | Outside area, other | 5 | 26.3% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 15.8% | |
| 3 | Other | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 4 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 6 | Corridor, mall | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 9 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 10 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 1 | 5.3% |
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 Richland mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 4 | 21.1% | |
| 2 | Chemical reaction | 3 | 15.8% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 5 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 10 | Match | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 5.3% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Richland sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 9,901 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,265 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 848 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 812 | 48.7 mi | |
| 1995 | Recreation and ceremony | 750 | 40.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 741 | 27.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 623 | 39.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 470 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 328 | 47.0 mi | |
| 1995 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 325 | 22.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 308 | 39.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 258 | 49.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 250 | 39.1 mi |
Top 8 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Richland. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Richland.
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.