In 2025, fire departments serving South Park responded to 33 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $134K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Incomplete 2025 data. South Park's departments reported 33 incidents to NFIRS for 2025, against about 72 in a typical year, so 2025 figures on this page undercount. The 2021–2025 totals are the better guide.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 88% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
359 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $234K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 90 | — | |
| 2022 | 94 | +4.4% | |
| 2023 | 76 | -19.1% | |
| 2024 | 66 | -13.2% | |
| 2025* | 33 | — |
* Well below South Park's usual volume. That almost always means one or more departments didn't submit a full year to NFIRS, not that fires dropped, so no year-over-year change is shown for it.
For the 11 building fires South Park departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 72 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 | Cooking area, kitchen | 15 | 20.8% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 14 | 19.4% | |
| 3 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 5 | 6.9% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 5 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Other | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 8 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Egress/exit, other | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 14 | 19.4% |
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 Park mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 21 | 29.2% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 18 | 25.0% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 5 | 6.9% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Fireworks | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 9 | 12.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by South Park departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $134,400 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. South Park sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,377 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Smoking | 394 | 42.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 173 | 39.0 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 106 | 45.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 90 | 47.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 60 | 31.3 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 48 | 28.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 40 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 36 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 35 | 29.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 30 | 34.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 28 | 45.9 mi |
Top 4 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of South Park. 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.