In 2025, fire departments serving Wintersville responded to 41 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K 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 66% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
270 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $484K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50 | — | |
| 2022 | 57 | +14.0% | |
| 2023 | 68 | +19.3% | |
| 2024 | 54 | -20.6% | |
| 2025 | 41 | -24.1% |
For the 6 building fires Wintersville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 80 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 21 | 26.2% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 9 | 11.2% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 8 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 8.8% | |
| 5 | Other | 6 | 7.5% | |
| 6 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 5 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Function area, other | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 8 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Structural area, other | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 16 | 20.0% |
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 Wintersville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 37 | 46.2% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 7 | 8.8% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 7 | 8.8% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 6 | 7.5% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 5.0% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 4 | 5.0% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 7.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Wintersville departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $17,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $15,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $2,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Wintersville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,080 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 175 | 29.3 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 106 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 78 | 27.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 31.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 49 | 34.3 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 48 | 9.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 37.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 35 | 25.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 31 | 15.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 45.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 9.7 mi |
Top 2 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 Wintersville. 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.