In 2025, fire departments serving Scottsville responded to 75 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $275K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 51% of all calls.
Jul peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
364 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.9M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 76 | — | |
| 2022 | 78 | +2.6% | |
| 2023 | 68 | -12.8% | |
| 2024 | 67 | -1.5% | |
| 2025 | 75 | +11.9% |
For the 8 building fires Scottsville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 67 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 | 22 | 32.8% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 8 | 11.9% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 9.0% | |
| 4 | Other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Wall assembly | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Outside area, other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 10 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 16.4% |
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 Scottsville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 30 | 44.8% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 9 | 13.4% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 7.5% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 7.5% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 7.5% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 7.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Scottsville departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $275,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $70,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $3,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $150 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Scottsville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 58,311 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 11,229 | 37.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 10,326 | 36.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,505 | 19.7 mi | |
| 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,200 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,717 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,871 | 49.6 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 2,206 | 29.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,057 | 38.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,614 | 20.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,579 | 45.7 mi | |
| 1998 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,431 | 30.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,300 | 36.4 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 Virginia cities with population within ±25% of Scottsville. 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.