In 2025, fire departments serving Watauga responded to 26 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $40K 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 73% of all calls.
Dec peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
109 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $205K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21 | — | |
| 2022 | 22 | +4.8% | |
| 2023 | 23 | +4.5% | |
| 2024 | 17 | -26.1% | |
| 2025 | 26 | +52.9% |
For the 7 building fires Watauga departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 34 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 | 7 | 20.6% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 7 | 20.6% | |
| 3 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 6 | 17.6% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 14.7% | |
| 5 | Wall assembly | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Interior stairway or ramp | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Exterior, exposed surface | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Outside area, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 5.9% |
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 Watauga mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 24 | 70.6% | |
| 2 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 2.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Watauga departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $7,500 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $7,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $6,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $1,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Watauga sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 64,361 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 10,120 | 37.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 5,964 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 5,500 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 5,015 | 42.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,163 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,943 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 2,738 | 22.1 mi | |
| 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | 2,579 | 40.3 mi | |
| 2007 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 2,404 | 43.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,185 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 2,115 | 43.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,050 | 14.1 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 Tennessee cities with population within ±25% of Watauga. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Watauga.
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.