In 2025, fire departments serving Shinnston responded to 49 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $25K 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. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
285 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $346K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 53 | — | |
| 2022 | 53 | +0.0% | |
| 2023 | 60 | +13.2% | |
| 2024 | 70 | +16.7% | |
| 2025 | 49 | -30.0% |
For the 14 building fires Shinnston departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 55 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 | 31 | 56.4% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 7.3% | |
| 3 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Corridor, mall | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Storage area, other | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 7.3% |
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 Shinnston mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 41 | 74.5% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 4 | 7.3% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 1.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Shinnston departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Shinnston sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,446 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Smoking | 394 | 39.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 150 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 147 | 32.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 125 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 121 | 38.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 120 | 28.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 117 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 109 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Smoking | 102 | 14.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 100 | 40.4 mi | |
| 1995 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 43.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 85 | 39.6 mi |
Top 9 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 Shinnston. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Shinnston.
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.