In 2025, fire departments serving Richmond Heights responded to 129 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $130K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 75% of all calls.
May peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
599 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $653K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 118 | — | |
| 2022 | 77 | -34.7% | |
| 2023 | 136 | +76.6% | |
| 2024 | 139 | +2.2% | |
| 2025 | 129 | -7.2% |
For the 15 building fires Richmond Heights departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 66 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 | 13 | 19.7% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 12 | 18.2% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 12 | 18.2% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 8 | 12.1% | |
| 5 | Other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Storage area, other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 10.6% |
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 Richmond Heights mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 23 | 34.8% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 8 | 12.1% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 12.1% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 5 | 7.6% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 4 | 6.1% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 7.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Richmond Heights departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $130,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $4,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $2,000 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Richmond Heights sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,769 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,475 | 26.9 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 360 | 39.4 mi | |
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 270 | 39.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 225 | 31.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 150 | 32.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 43.3 mi | |
| 1997 | Smoking | 135 | 48.6 mi | |
| 1994 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 104 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 19.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 29.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 47.3 mi |
Top 7 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Missouri cities with population within ±25% of Richmond Heights. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Richmond Heights.
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.