In 2025, fire departments serving Trenton responded to 92 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $45K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 60% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
439 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.3M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 75 | — | |
| 2022 | 88 | +17.3% | |
| 2023 | 82 | -6.8% | |
| 2024 | 102 | +24.4% | |
| 2025 | 92 | -9.8% |
For the 20 building fires Trenton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 94 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 | 13 | 13.8% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 12 | 12.8% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 11 | 11.7% | |
| 4 | Wall surface: exterior | 10 | 10.6% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 7 | 7.4% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 6.4% | |
| 7 | Undetermined | 5 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Exterior, exposed surface | 4 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 3 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 20 | 21.3% |
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 Trenton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 32 | 34.0% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 11 | 11.7% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 10 | 10.6% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Cigarette | 5 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 5 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Radiated heat from another fire | 5 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 4 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 11 | 11.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Trenton departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 97% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $45,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $35,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Trenton sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 10 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 367 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 125 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 57 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 34.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 | 42.9 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 20 | 34.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Recreation and ceremony | 15 | 41.3 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12 | 49.9 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 46.1 mi |
Top 3 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 Trenton. 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.