In 2025, fire departments serving Sullivan responded to 35 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $68K 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 72% of all calls.
Apr peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
148 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $2.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 29 | — | |
| 2022 | 29 | +0.0% | |
| 2023 | 28 | -3.4% | |
| 2024 | 27 | -3.6% | |
| 2025 | 35 | +29.6% |
For the 15 building fires Sullivan departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 47 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 | 10 | 21.3% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 8 | 17.0% | |
| 3 | Wildland, woods | 7 | 14.9% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 5 | 10.6% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 8.5% | |
| 6 | Wall assembly | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 7 | Other | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - 5+ persons; including barrack/dormitory | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 12.8% |
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 Sullivan mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 23.4% | |
| 2 | Match | 10 | 21.3% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 7 | 14.9% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Radiated heat from another fire | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 8.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Sullivan departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $68,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Outside rubbish fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Sullivan sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 16 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 426 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 171 | 23.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 25 | 20.4 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 | 9.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 11.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 7.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 | 43.2 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 15 | 37.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 15 | 39.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | 10 | 33.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 10 | 39.9 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 | 44880 | 148 |
Six Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Sullivan. 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.