In 2025, fire departments serving Richwood responded to 27 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $25K 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 74% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
216 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $349K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 57 | — | |
| 2022 | 50 | -12.3% | |
| 2023 | 47 | -6.0% | |
| 2024 | 35 | -25.5% | |
| 2025 | 27 | -22.9% |
For the 9 building fires Richwood departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 35 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 | 8 | 22.9% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 4 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Closet | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 8 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 10 | Other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 14.3% |
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 Richwood mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 15 | 42.9% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 7 | 20.0% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 5 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Conducted heat from another fire | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Richwood departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Richwood sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 3 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 372 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 332 | 15.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 | 40.8 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 | 43344 | 216 |
Six Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Richwood. 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.