In 2025, fire departments serving Wagener responded to 53 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $375K 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 79% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
282 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $2.8M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 69 | — | |
| 2022 | 57 | -17.4% | |
| 2023 | 61 | +7.0% | |
| 2024 | 42 | -31.1% | |
| 2025 | 53 | +26.2% |
For the 29 building fires Wagener departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 63 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 | 16 | 25.4% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 5 | 7.9% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 6.3% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Other | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 12 | 19.0% |
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 Wagener mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 31 | 49.2% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 7 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 6.3% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 6.3% | |
| 5 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 7 | Lightning | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Arcing | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 9.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Wagener departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 97% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $375,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Wagener sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 11,330 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,484 | 39.5 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 985 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2017 | Debris and open burning | 950 | 19.9 mi | |
| 1993 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 650 | 18.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 586 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 481 | 46.1 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 373 | 44.4 mi | |
| 1993 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 373 | 47.1 mi | |
| 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 350 | 39.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 316 | 39.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 310 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 26.1 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 South Carolina cities with population within ±25% of Wagener. 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.