In 2025, fire departments serving Dale County responded to 161 fire and hazmat incidents — including a single $650K property loss. FEMA NRI rates wildfire risk here as Moderate.
Building fires lead by count. Top five categories make up about 49% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips.
1,141 incidents from 2021 through 2025.
| Year | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 175 | |
| 2022 | 241 | |
| 2023 | 282 | |
| 2024 | 282 | |
| 2025 | 161 |
For the 26 building fires departments responded to in 2025, here's how investigators classified them.
Largest single-incident property losses in Dale County during 2025. These 10 fires alone account for 94% of the county's total.
| # | Property loss | City | Type | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $650,000 | FORT NOVOSEL | Building fires | Major |
| 2 | $500,000 | City of Ozark | Building fires | Major |
| 3 | $200,000 | City of Ozark | Building fires | Significant |
| 4 | $85,000 | DOTHAN | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant |
| 5 | $50,000 | City of Ozark | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant |
| 6 | $50,000 | City of Ozark | Building fires | Significant |
| 7 | $50,000 | Ozark | Building fires | Significant |
| 8 | $50,000 | City of Ozark | Building fires | Significant |
| 9 | $23,000 | Daleville | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant |
| 10 | $20,000 | City of Ozark | Building fires | Significant |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples.
12 cities mapped to FIPS 01045.
| City | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| Ozark | 14,373 | View › |
| Fort Rucker | 5,422 | View › |
| Daleville | 4,901 | View › |
| Level Plains | 1,889 | View › |
| Midland City | 1,823 | View › |
| Newton | 1,528 | View › |
| Ariton | 795 | View › |
| Pinckard | 724 | View › |
| Grimes | 529 | View › |
| Napier Field | 430 | View › |
| Clayhatchee | 427 | View › |
| Echo | 0 | View › |
3 departments report from this county.
Top 10 fire perimeters by acres burned (state-scoped fallback while we build out per-county polygons).
| # | Name | Year | Agency | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 426 B | 2019 | USFS | 2,671 |
| 2 | Lake Chinnabee | 2016 | USFS | 2,228 |
| 3 | 742 | 2019 | USFS | 1,787 |
| 4 | Rd07-09 | 2006 | NPS | 1,467 |
| 5 | Big Candle | 2019 | USFS | 1,272 |
| 6 | Half Way | 2016 | USFS | 1,066 |
| 7 | LRP NORTHEAST SOUTH RX | 2023 | NPS | 1,026 |
| 8 | Welcome Home 1 | 2016 | USFS | 1,008 |
| 9 | Road 09-08 WF | 2006 | NPS | 978 |
| 10 | Caney Head | 2016 | USFS | 932 |
County-level NFIRS aggregates for 2025, plus 5-year totals across 2021–2025. NFIRS is voluntary — about 23,000 of roughly 30,000 US fire departments report — so totals are a strong indicator, not a complete census. Wildfire risk score (0–100) and Expected Annual Loss come from FEMA's National Risk Index. Drought class is the most recent USDM classification (D0 = abnormally dry through D4 = exceptional drought). Historical fire perimeters are sourced from the NIFC InterAgency Fire Perimeter History.