In 2025, fire departments serving Wampum responded to 15 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 93% of all calls.
Sep peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
89 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $60K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35 | — | |
| 2022 | 16 | -54.3% | |
| 2023 | 12 | -25.0% | |
| 2024 | 11 | -8.3% | |
| 2025 | 15 | +36.4% |
For the 7 building fires Wampum departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 22 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 | 6 | 27.3% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 4 | 18.2% | |
| 3 | Other | 3 | 13.6% | |
| 4 | Function area, other | 2 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 9.1% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 10 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 1 | 4.5% |
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 Wampum mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 9 | 40.9% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 4 | 18.2% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 13.6% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 2 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Fireworks | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 4.5% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Wampum sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,750 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 342 | 39.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 260 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 175 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 152 | 38.7 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 106 | 2.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 78 | 28.4 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 76 | 48.7 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 48 | 39.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 47 | 35.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 45 | 33.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 41 | 31.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 38 | 30.5 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 Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Wampum. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Wampum.
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.