In 2025, fire departments serving Valley City responded to 50 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $102K 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 70% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
253 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $902K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 71 | — | |
| 2022 | 48 | -32.4% | |
| 2023 | 41 | -14.6% | |
| 2024 | 43 | +4.9% | |
| 2025 | 50 | +16.3% |
For the 18 building fires Valley City departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 71 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 | 14 | 19.7% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 14 | 19.7% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 10 | 14.1% | |
| 4 | Other | 6 | 8.5% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 8.5% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Fuel tank, fuel line | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 12.7% |
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 Valley City mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 19 | 26.8% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 8.5% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 8.5% | |
| 4 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 6 | 8.5% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 7.0% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Match | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Arcing | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 15 | 21.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Valley City departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $102,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $40,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $1,500 | Chimney or flue fire, confined to chimney or flue | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Valley City sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 11 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 726 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 171 | 42.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 41.7 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 25 | 25.9 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 | 29.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 30.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 25.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | 10 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 25.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 10 | 50.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 | 48.0 mi |
Top 2 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 Valley City. 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.