In 2025, fire departments serving Rock Hill responded to 36 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 78% of all calls.
Jan peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
163 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $5K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 24 | — | |
| 2022 | 35 | +45.8% | |
| 2023 | 28 | -20.0% | |
| 2024 | 40 | +42.9% | |
| 2025 | 36 | -10.0% |
For the 8 building fires Rock Hill departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 36 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 | 41.7% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 25.0% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Outside area, other | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 1 | 2.8% |
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 Rock Hill mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 25 | 69.4% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 6 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 7 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 2.8% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Rock Hill sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 26,840 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 7,949 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Smoking | 2,855 | 22.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 2,759 | 8.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,028 | 12.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 998 | 22.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 995 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Smoking | 866 | 20.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 812 | 49.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Smoking | 700 | 35.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 647 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 641 | 40.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 615 | 40.5 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 New York cities with population within ±25% of Rock Hill. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Rock Hill.
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.