In 2025, fire departments serving Warsaw responded to 43 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $150K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 75% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
277 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $379K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 58 | — | |
| 2022 | 69 | +19.0% | |
| 2023 | 44 | -36.2% | |
| 2024 | 63 | +43.2% | |
| 2025 | 43 | -31.7% |
For the 6 building fires Warsaw departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 29 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 20.7% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 17.2% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 6 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Chimney (conversion only) | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 1 | 3.4% |
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 Warsaw mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 13 | 44.8% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 5 | 17.2% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 17.2% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Warsaw departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $3,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Warsaw sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,326 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 175 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 171 | 29.8 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 5.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 19.8 mi | |
| 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 25.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 38.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 15.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 17.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 35 | 6.0 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 43844 | 277 |
Six Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Warsaw. 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.