In 2025, fire departments serving Snow Shoe responded to 12 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 83% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
78 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 16 | — | |
| 2022 | 17 | +6.2% | |
| 2023 | 19 | +11.8% | |
| 2024 | 14 | -26.3% | |
| 2025 | 12 | -14.3% |
For the 4 building fires Snow Shoe departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 39 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 | 23.1% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 17.9% | |
| 3 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Structural area, other | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 6 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 9 | Other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 17.9% |
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 Snow Shoe mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 23 | 59.0% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Heat, spark from friction | 4 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 7 | Lightning | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 1 | 2.6% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Snow Shoe sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 12,763 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,000 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,329 | 21.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 11.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 917 | 21.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 688 | 8.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 605 | 36.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 17.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 424 | 22.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 352 | 21.0 mi | |
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 352 | 18.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 348 | 21.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 297 | 46.1 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 | 16874 | 78 |
Six Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Snow Shoe. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Snow Shoe.
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.