In 2025, fire departments serving Ulysses responded to 21 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 62% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
129 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21 | — | |
| 2022 | 38 | +81.0% | |
| 2023 | 29 | -23.7% | |
| 2024 | 20 | -31.0% | |
| 2025 | 21 | +5.0% |
For the 4 building fires Ulysses departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 49 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 | 12 | 24.5% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 6 | 12.2% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 10.2% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 8.2% | |
| 5 | Structural area, other | 4 | 8.2% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 8.2% | |
| 7 | Other | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 9 | Conveyor | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 10 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 12.2% |
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 Ulysses mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 19 | 38.8% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 12.2% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 4 | 8.2% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 9 | Match | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 10 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 8.2% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Ulysses sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 10,146 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,000 | 26.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,329 | 32.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 917 | 32.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 688 | 45.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 605 | 36.0 mi | |
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 352 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 348 | 32.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 236 | 35.5 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 150 | 20.3 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 135 | 39.6 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 130 | 31.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Equipment and vehicle use | 129 | 41.7 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 | 16948 | 129 |
Six Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Ulysses. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Ulysses.
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.