In 2025, fire departments serving South Shore responded to 37 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $1K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Vehicle accident, general cleanup lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 59% of all calls.
Feb peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
225 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $59K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 40 | — | |
| 2022 | 62 | +55.0% | |
| 2023 | 37 | -40.3% | |
| 2024 | 49 | +32.4% | |
| 2025 | 37 | -24.5% |
For the 5 building fires South Shore departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 38 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 | 39.5% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 13.2% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 10.5% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 3 | 7.9% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 7.9% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Structural area, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 7.9% |
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 Shore mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 28 | 73.7% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 3 | 7.9% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 5.3% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 7 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by South Shore departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000 | Fuel burner/boiler malfunction, fire confined | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. South Shore sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 13,699 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,865 | 12.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 1,016 | 14.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 22.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 870 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 650 | 25.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 591 | 28.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 500 | 37.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 476 | 0.6 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 450 | 4.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 448 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 400 | 2.4 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 390 | 17.0 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 Kentucky cities with population within ±25% of South Shore. 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.