In 2025, fire departments serving Sneedville responded to 24 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 92% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
193 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $612K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 42 | — | |
| 2022 | 36 | -14.3% | |
| 2023 | 48 | +33.3% | |
| 2024 | 43 | -10.4% | |
| 2025 | 24 | -44.2% |
For the 9 building fires Sneedville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 50 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 | 22 | 44.0% | |
| 2 | Other | 6 | 12.0% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 8.0% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 4.0% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 4.0% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 4.0% | |
| 7 | Structural area, other | 2 | 4.0% | |
| 8 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 14.0% |
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 Sneedville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 28 | 56.0% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 7 | 14.0% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 6.0% | |
| 4 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 6.0% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 4.0% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 2 | 4.0% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Sneedville 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 | $12,000 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Sneedville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 76,645 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 7,400 | 27.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 5,964 | 50.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,700 | 44.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,040 | 39.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,860 | 19.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,675 | 41.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,539 | 24.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,300 | 26.1 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,040 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 39.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,943 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 2,850 | 34.4 mi |
Top 3 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Tennessee cities with population within ±25% of Sneedville. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
5 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Sneedville.
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.