In 2025, fire departments serving Virginia responded to 13 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Grass fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 69% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
93 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $344K cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 19 | — | |
| 2022 | 24 | +26.3% | |
| 2023 | 17 | -29.2% | |
| 2024 | 20 | +17.6% | |
| 2025 | 13 | -35.0% |
For the 2 building fires Virginia departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 42 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 | 9 | 21.4% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 9 | 21.4% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 19.0% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 9.5% |
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 Virginia mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 26 | 61.9% | |
| 2 | Match | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 4 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Arcing | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 7.1% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Virginia sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,867 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 375 | 35.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 250 | 26.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 140 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 96 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 46.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 31.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 13.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | 55 | 12.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 50 | 38.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 29.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 32.9 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 Illinois cities with population within ±25% of Virginia. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Virginia.
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.