In 2025, fire departments serving Wayne responded to 31 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K 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 74% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
132 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $317K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 29 | — | |
| 2022 | 16 | -44.8% | |
| 2023 | 23 | +43.8% | |
| 2024 | 33 | +43.5% | |
| 2025 | 31 | -6.1% |
For the 12 building fires Wayne departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 39 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 | 11 | 28.2% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 5 | 12.8% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 10.3% | |
| 5 | Other | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Undetermined | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 12.8% |
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 Wayne mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 8 | 20.5% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 12.8% | |
| 3 | Match | 5 | 12.8% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 4 | 10.3% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 10.3% | |
| 6 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 7 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 9 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 10.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Wayne departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $20,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Water vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $14,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Wayne sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 13 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 648 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 332 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 45.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 69 | 30.6 mi | |
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 58 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2017 | Debris and open burning | 22 | 27.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 16 | 43.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 11 | 30.0 mi | |
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 | 23.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 27.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 26.9 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 10 | 33.9 mi |
Top 10 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Wayne. 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.