In 2025, fire departments serving South Russell responded to 29 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 86% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
166 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $3.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20 | — | |
| 2022 | 49 | +145.0% | |
| 2023 | 30 | -38.8% | |
| 2024 | 38 | +26.7% | |
| 2025 | 29 | -23.7% |
For the 0 building fires South Russell departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 19 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 | Outside area, other | 6 | 31.6% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 15.8% | |
| 3 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 6 | Other | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 5.3% |
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 Russell mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 7 | 36.8% | |
| 2 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 15.8% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 5 | Cigarette | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Match | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 5.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by South Russell departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. South Russell sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 4 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 475 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 17.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 40.2 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 25 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 | 22.8 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 Ohio cities with population within ±25% of South Russell. 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.