In 2025, fire departments serving Worthington responded to 97 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $3.0M building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 67% of all calls.
Mar peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
601 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $4.1M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 130 | — | |
| 2022 | 142 | +9.2% | |
| 2023 | 122 | -14.1% | |
| 2024 | 110 | -9.8% | |
| 2025 | 97 | -11.8% |
For the 3 building fires Worthington departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 52 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 | 12 | 23.1% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 9.6% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 4 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 5 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 10 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 15 | 28.8% |
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 Worthington mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 22 | 42.3% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 9.6% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 9.6% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 3.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Worthington departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $3,000,000 | Outside equipment fire | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $12,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $300 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Worthington sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 21 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 766 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 332 | 40.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 35 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 | 27.0 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 48.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 24 | 24.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 24 | 41.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 18 | 44.5 mi |
Top 7 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 Worthington. 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.