In 2025, fire departments serving Ripley responded to 46 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $80K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 78% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
241 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $652K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 43 | — | |
| 2022 | 52 | +20.9% | |
| 2023 | 49 | -5.8% | |
| 2024 | 51 | +4.1% | |
| 2025 | 46 | -9.8% |
For the 12 building fires Ripley departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 51 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 | 13 | 25.5% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 13.7% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 11.8% | |
| 5 | Other | 5 | 9.8% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 11.8% |
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 Ripley mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 30 | 58.8% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 4 | 7.8% | |
| 3 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 4 | 7.8% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 2.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Ripley departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $40,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Ripley sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 12,304 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,865 | 34.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,102 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 1,016 | 35.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 29.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 591 | 23.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 476 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 450 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 400 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 390 | 31.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 366 | 32.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | 332 | 29.8 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 308 | 36.3 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 Ripley. 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.