In 2025, fire departments serving Union responded to 55 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $2.0M building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 78% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
232 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $2.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50 | — | |
| 2022 | 44 | -12.0% | |
| 2023 | 55 | +25.0% | |
| 2024 | 28 | -49.1% | |
| 2025 | 55 | +96.4% |
For the 8 building fires Union departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 34 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 14.7% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 11.8% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 6 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Undetermined | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 8 | Other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 26.5% |
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 Union mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 32.4% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 4 | Fireworks | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 8 | 23.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Union departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Union sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 2 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 40 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 21.2 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 | 29.7 mi |
Top 5 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 Union. 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.