In 2025, fire departments serving Utica responded to 58 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 67% of all calls.
Sep peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
327 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 47 | — | |
| 2022 | 76 | +61.7% | |
| 2023 | 88 | +15.8% | |
| 2024 | 58 | -34.1% | |
| 2025 | 58 | +0.0% |
For the 21 building fires Utica departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 56 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 | Undetermined | 20 | 35.7% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 9 | 16.1% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 4 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Other | 3 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 10.7% |
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 Utica mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 34 | 60.7% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 5.4% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 5.4% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Arcing | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 7.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Utica departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Utica sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,154 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 171 | 32.6 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 23.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 26.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 34.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 37.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 20.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 39.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 35 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 35 | 22.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 44.2 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 Utica. 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.