In 2025, fire departments serving Thornville responded to 139 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K 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 68% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
635 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $2.1M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 84 | — | |
| 2022 | 110 | +31.0% | |
| 2023 | 131 | +19.1% | |
| 2024 | 171 | +30.5% | |
| 2025 | 139 | -18.7% |
For the 38 building fires Thornville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 97 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 21 | 21.6% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 16 | 16.5% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 8 | 8.2% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 8 | 8.2% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 5 | 5.2% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Outside area, other | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Other | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 22 | 22.7% |
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 Thornville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 37 | 38.1% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 15 | 15.5% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 9 | 9.3% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 6 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 5.2% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 10 | 10.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Thornville departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $83,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $20,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $8,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $8,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Thornville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,875 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 355 | 39.6 mi | |
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 280 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 33.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 131 | 40.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 90 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 41.3 mi | |
| 2013 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 53 | 27.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 2.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 15.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 20.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 23.3 mi |
Top 2 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 Thornville. 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.