In 2025, fire departments serving Whitmire responded to 47 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K 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 66% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
202 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $560K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36 | — | |
| 2022 | 37 | +2.8% | |
| 2023 | 47 | +27.0% | |
| 2024 | 35 | -25.5% | |
| 2025 | 47 | +34.3% |
For the 14 building fires Whitmire departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 51 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 | 15 | 29.4% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 11.8% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 7.8% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Function area, other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Vacant structural area | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 12 | 23.5% |
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 Whitmire mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 28 | 54.9% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 7.8% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Match | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 5.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Whitmire departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,600 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $6,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $3,000 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $1,500 | Heat from short circuit (wiring), defective/worn | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Whitmire sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,628 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 310 | 37.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 22.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 225 | 49.6 mi | |
| 1994 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 190 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 175 | 38.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 165 | 40.6 mi | |
| 2019 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 152 | 44.6 mi | |
| 1994 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 45.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Natural | 141 | 19.2 mi | |
| 1993 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 140 | 32.9 mi | |
| 2002 | Equipment and vehicle use | 135 | 33.8 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 130 | 16.1 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 South Carolina cities with population within ±25% of Whitmire. 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.