In 2025, fire departments serving White responded to 44 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $12K 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 70% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
245 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.7M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36 | — | |
| 2022 | 63 | +75.0% | |
| 2023 | 55 | -12.7% | |
| 2024 | 47 | -14.5% | |
| 2025 | 44 | -6.4% |
For the 2 building fires White departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 73 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 | 26 | 35.6% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 8 | 11.0% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 7 | 9.6% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Construction/renovation area | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 12.3% |
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 White mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 43 | 58.9% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 9 | 12.3% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 6.8% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 9 | Match | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 10 | Backfire from internal combustion engine | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 4.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by White departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $12,000 | Special outside fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $1,500 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. White sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 49,074 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Natural | 27,870 | 43.4 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,321 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 1,448 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,350 | 45.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,281 | 39.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,010 | 41.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 965 | 33.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 907 | 39.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 900 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 885 | 48.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 802 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 780 | 24.2 mi |
Top 3 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Georgia cities with population within ±25% of White. 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.