In 2025, fire departments serving Selmer responded to 74 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $150K 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 65% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
444 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $2.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 92 | — | |
| 2022 | 90 | -2.2% | |
| 2023 | 99 | +10.0% | |
| 2024 | 89 | -10.1% | |
| 2025 | 74 | -16.9% |
For the 15 building fires Selmer departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 121 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 | 75 | 62.0% | |
| 2 | Vehicle area, other | 15 | 12.4% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 5 | 4.1% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 3.3% | |
| 5 | Other | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 8 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Exterior, exposed surface | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 5.0% |
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 Selmer mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 90 | 74.4% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 11 | 9.1% | |
| 3 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 4 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 0.8% | |
| 9 | Arcing | 1 | 0.8% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 0.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 4.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Selmer departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 98% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $80,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $70,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $60,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $35,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $20,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $3,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Selmer sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 12,097 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 | 1,344 | 32.0 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,007 | 45.9 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 900 | 32.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 702 | 35.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 537 | 38.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 529 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 500 | 19.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 475 | 47.6 mi | |
| 1995 | Debris and open burning | 459 | 38.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 390 | 30.1 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 382 | 28.9 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 | 38375 | 444 |
Six Tennessee cities with population within ±25% of Selmer. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Selmer.
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.