In 2025, fire departments serving Riverview responded to 44 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $5K 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 75% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
200 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $100K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35 | — | |
| 2022 | 40 | +14.3% | |
| 2023 | 44 | +10.0% | |
| 2024 | 37 | -15.9% | |
| 2025 | 44 | +18.9% |
For the 19 building fires Riverview departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 58 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 | 15 | 25.9% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 9 | 15.5% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 10.3% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Function area, other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 13.8% |
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 Riverview mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 35 | 60.3% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 6.9% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 5.2% | |
| 4 | Fireworks | 3 | 5.2% | |
| 5 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 5.2% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 8 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 9 | Arcing | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 6.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Riverview departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Riverview sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,478 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 | 23.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 360 | 49.4 mi | |
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 270 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 225 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 150 | 40.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 26.9 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 20.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 36.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 39.3 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 56 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 40.4 mi |
Top 2 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 Riverview. 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.