In 2025, fire departments serving Wellington responded to 103 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $180K 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 75% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
471 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.9M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 82 | — | |
| 2022 | 107 | +30.5% | |
| 2023 | 91 | -15.0% | |
| 2024 | 88 | -3.3% | |
| 2025 | 103 | +17.0% |
For the 29 building fires Wellington departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 57 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 | 11 | 19.3% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 10 | 17.5% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 12.3% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 4 | 7.0% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 9 | Exterior, exposed surface | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 10 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 17.5% |
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 Wellington mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 24 | 42.1% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 10.5% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 7.0% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 4 | 7.0% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 8 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 9 | Radiated heat from another fire | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 10 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 10.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Wellington departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $180,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $3,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Wellington sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 11 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 326 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 171 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 25 | 26.9 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 | 16.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 16.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 16.4 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 15 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 15 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | 10 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 10 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 15.9 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 | 49.8 mi |
Top 4 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 Wellington. 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.