In 2025, fire departments serving Sherwood responded to 20 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $140K 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 70% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
94 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $699K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 17 | — | |
| 2022 | 19 | +11.8% | |
| 2023 | 16 | -15.8% | |
| 2024 | 22 | +37.5% | |
| 2025 | 20 | -9.1% |
For the 3 building fires Sherwood departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 48 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 15 | 31.2% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 8 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 6 | 12.5% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 8.3% |
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 Sherwood mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 15 | 31.2% | |
| 2 | Cigarette lighter | 6 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 5 | 10.4% | |
| 4 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 5 | 10.4% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 8.3% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 10 | Match | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 6.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Sherwood departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $140,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $60,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $25,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $7,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $7,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $2,500 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Sherwood sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 842 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 125 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 57 | 16.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 14.4 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 45 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 45 | 36.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 35 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 35 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 35 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 30.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 49.2 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 | 43556 | 94 |
Six Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Sherwood. 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.