In 2025, fire departments serving Waynesville responded to 39 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200 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.
Jul peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
176 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $87K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 23 | — | |
| 2022 | 27 | +17.4% | |
| 2023 | 36 | +33.3% | |
| 2024 | 51 | +41.7% | |
| 2025 | 39 | -23.5% |
For the 12 building fires Waynesville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 16 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 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 3 | 18.8% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Storage area, other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 9 | Outside area, other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 10 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 18.8% |
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 Waynesville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 6 | 37.5% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 6.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Waynesville departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Waynesville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 20 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 528 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 125 | 34.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 48.6 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 45 | 47.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 37.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 20 | 45.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Recreation and ceremony | 18 | 45.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Recreation and ceremony | 15 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 | 42.2 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 | 45068 | 176 |
Six Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Waynesville. 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.