In 2025, fire departments serving Shamokin responded to 81 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 53% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
575 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. 3 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 100 | — | |
| 2022 | 156 | +56.0% | |
| 2023 | 115 | -26.3% | |
| 2024 | 123 | +7.0% | |
| 2025 | 81 | -34.1% |
For the 13 building fires Shamokin departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 170 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 | Outside area, other | 35 | 20.6% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 18 | 10.6% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 17 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Other | 15 | 8.8% | |
| 5 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 11 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 7 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 6 | 3.5% | |
| 9 | Structural area, other | 5 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Exterior, exposed surface | 5 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 43 | 25.3% |
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 Shamokin mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 73 | 42.9% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 31 | 18.2% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 10 | 5.9% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 9 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 7 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 6 | 3.5% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 5 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Match | 3 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 3 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 18 | 10.6% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Shamokin sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 8,077 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,126 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 935 | 23.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 848 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 336 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 328 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 308 | 43.6 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 282 | 20.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 263 | 20.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 258 | 39.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | 257 | 39.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 250 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 210 | 49.3 mi |
Top 6 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Shamokin. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Shamokin.
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.