In 2025, fire departments serving Screven responded to 27 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $165K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Natural vegetation fire, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 70% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
158 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $692K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 22 | — | |
| 2022 | 30 | +36.4% | |
| 2023 | 37 | +23.3% | |
| 2024 | 42 | +13.5% | |
| 2025 | 27 | -35.7% |
For the 3 building fires Screven departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 46 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 | 47.8% | |
| 2 | Other | 5 | 10.9% | |
| 3 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 4 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Storage area, other | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Egress/exit, other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 7 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Conduit, pipe, utility, or ventilation shaft | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Structural area, other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 13.0% |
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 Screven mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 28 | 60.9% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 6 | 13.0% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 5 | 10.9% | |
| 4 | Lightning | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Radiated heat from another fire | 1 | 2.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Screven departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $165,273 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $165,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Screven sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 357,403 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 191,474 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 68,361 | 34.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 22,246 | 33.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 19,198 | 35.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 14,128 | 49.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 6,960 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 4,035 | 24.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,500 | 35.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 3,482 | 36.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 2,500 | 37.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,228 | 27.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 2,200 | 46.6 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 | 31560 | 158 |
Six Georgia cities with population within ±25% of Screven. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Screven.
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.