In 2025, fire departments serving Tryon responded to 40 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $500K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Forest, woods or wildland fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 78% of all calls.
Mar peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
303 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $710K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 38 | — | |
| 2022 | 59 | +55.3% | |
| 2023 | 84 | +42.4% | |
| 2024 | 82 | -2.4% | |
| 2025 | 40 | -51.2% |
For the 5 building fires Tryon departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 52 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 | 15 | 28.8% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 13.5% | |
| 3 | Other | 4 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Undetermined | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Egress/exit, other | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 19.2% |
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 Tryon mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 14 | 26.9% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 7 | 13.5% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 7 | 13.5% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 11.5% | |
| 5 | Cigarette lighter | 5 | 9.6% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 11.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Tryon departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 | Fire, other | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $30,000 | Forest, woods or wildland fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Tryon sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 57,612 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 10,623 | 31.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 7,913 | 16.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,431 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 5,500 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 5,015 | 47.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,163 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2007 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 2,404 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 2,235 | 22.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Other causes | 2,005 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2017 | Debris and open burning | 1,760 | 43.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,477 | 12.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Natural | 1,268 | 42.2 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 North Carolina cities with population within ±25% of Tryon. 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.