In 2025, fire departments serving Shepherdstown responded to 51 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $275K 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 63% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
293 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $845K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 77 | — | |
| 2022 | 40 | -48.1% | |
| 2023 | 63 | +57.5% | |
| 2024 | 62 | -1.6% | |
| 2025 | 51 | -17.7% |
For the 9 building fires Shepherdstown departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 44 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 | 9 | 20.5% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 15.9% | |
| 3 | Other | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Exterior, exposed surface | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 22.7% |
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 Shepherdstown mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 21 | 47.7% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 7 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Molten, hot material | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Shepherdstown 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 | $12,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $900 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $100 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Shepherdstown sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 7,646 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Other causes | 1,989 | 47.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 1,200 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 20.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 34.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Recreation and ceremony | 405 | 21.1 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 22.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 350 | 23.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Natural | 300 | 42.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Smoking | 230 | 45.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 166 | 44.8 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 21.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 145 | 21.2 mi |
Top 10 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six West Virginia cities with population within ±25% of Shepherdstown. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Shepherdstown.
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.