In 2025, fire departments serving South Pittsburg responded to 16 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $75K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Grass fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 81% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
105 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $1.4M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28 | — | |
| 2022 | 19 | -32.1% | |
| 2023 | 23 | +21.1% | |
| 2024 | 19 | -17.4% | |
| 2025 | 16 | -15.8% |
For the 0 building fires South Pittsburg departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 34 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 | 13 | 38.2% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 14.7% | |
| 3 | Other | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 14.7% |
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 Pittsburg mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 18 | 52.9% | |
| 2 | Heat, spark from friction | 4 | 11.8% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Chemical reaction | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 2.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by South Pittsburg departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $75,000 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. South Pittsburg sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 36,555 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 2,836 | 23.9 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,480 | 43.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 2,083 | 19.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,080 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,035 | 23.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,018 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 25.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,747 | 24.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,560 | 20.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 1,448 | 40.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,281 | 41.4 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 | 37380 | 105 |
Six Tennessee cities with population within ±25% of South Pittsburg. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
5 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in South Pittsburg.
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.