In 2025, fire departments serving Smiths Grove responded to 28 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Trash or rubbish fire, contained lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 57% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
180 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $460K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 23 | — | |
| 2022 | 51 | +121.7% | |
| 2023 | 39 | -23.5% | |
| 2024 | 39 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 28 | -28.2% |
For the 4 building fires Smiths Grove departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 97 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 | 24 | 24.7% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 22 | 22.7% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 15 | 15.5% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 11 | 11.3% | |
| 5 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 8.2% |
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 Smiths Grove mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 55 | 56.7% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 9 | 9.3% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Match | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 6.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Smiths Grove departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Smiths Grove sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 10,633 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,400 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 1,200 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,050 | 43.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 800 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 584 | 20.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 570 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 457 | 38.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 450 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 43.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | 400 | 16.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 300 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 44.8 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 Kentucky cities with population within ±25% of Smiths Grove. 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.