In 2025, fire departments serving South Lebanon 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 69% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
322 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $466K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 55 | — | |
| 2022 | 59 | +7.3% | |
| 2023 | 70 | +18.6% | |
| 2024 | 89 | +27.1% | |
| 2025 | 49 | -44.9% |
For the 12 building fires South Lebanon departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 62 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 | 15 | 24.2% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 10 | 16.1% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 14.5% | |
| 4 | Other | 6 | 9.7% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 12.9% |
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 South Lebanon mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 33 | 53.2% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 9.7% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 6.5% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Radiated heat from another fire | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 8.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by South Lebanon departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. South Lebanon sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 24 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 612 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 125 | 32.2 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 57 | 37.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 35.3 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 45 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 31.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 | 43.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 25 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 | 45.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 20 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 20 | 32.0 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 19 | 49.1 mi |
Top 5 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Ohio cities with population within ±25% of South Lebanon. 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.