In 2025, fire departments serving South Boardman responded to 28 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 75% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
121 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $396K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 29 | — | |
| 2022 | 18 | -37.9% | |
| 2023 | 23 | +27.8% | |
| 2024 | 23 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 28 | +21.7% |
For the 6 building fires South Boardman departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 16 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 3 | 18.8% | |
| 3 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Ceiling & floor assembly, crawl space b/t stories | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 8 | Outside area, other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 10 | Vacant structural area | 1 | 6.2% |
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 South Boardman mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 8 | 50.0% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 4 | 25.0% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 6.2% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. South Boardman sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 23,991 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 8,586 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,250 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,900 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,557 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1,345 | 29.3 mi | |
| 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,238 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 1,040 | 21.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 844 | 35.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 817 | 23.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 764 | 40.1 mi | |
| 1996 | Natural | 628 | 39.4 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 484 | 39.4 mi |
Top 2 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Michigan cities with population within ±25% of South Boardman. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in South Boardman.
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.