In 2025, fire departments serving Etowah County responded to 828 fire and hazmat incidents — including a single $450K property loss. FEMA NRI rates wildfire risk here as High.
Building fires lead by count. Top five categories make up about 54% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jun dips.
3,207 incidents from 2021 through 2025.
| Year | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 141 | |
| 2022 | 535 | |
| 2023 | 865 | |
| 2024 | 838 | |
| 2025 | 828 |
For the 151 building fires departments responded to in 2025, here's how investigators classified them.
Largest single-incident property losses in Etowah County during 2025. These 10 fires alone account for 39% of the county's total.
| # | Property loss | City | Type | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $450,000 | Gadsden | Building fires | Major |
| 2 | $285,000 | Gadsden | Building fires | Major |
| 3 | $250,000 | GADSDEN | Building fires | Major |
| 4 | $150,000 | Glencoe | Building fires | Significant |
| 5 | $150,000 | GADSDEN | Building fires | Significant |
| 6 | $150,000 | Rainbow City | Building fires | Significant |
| 7 | $150,000 | ATTALLA | Building fires | Significant |
| 8 | $145,000 | Altoona | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant |
| 9 | $110,000 | GADSDEN | Building fires | Significant |
| 10 | $100,000 | GADSDEN | Building fires | Significant |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples.
12 cities mapped to FIPS 01055.
| City | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| Gadsden | 33,881 | View › |
| Rainbow City | 10,184 | View › |
| Southside | 9,358 | View › |
| Attalla | 5,849 | View › |
| Glencoe | 5,343 | View › |
| Hokes Bluff | 4,449 | View › |
| Carlisle-Rockledge | 2,232 | View › |
| Whitesboro | 2,134 | View › |
| Sardis City | 1,941 | View › |
| Altoona | 1,358 | View › |
| Coats Bend | 1,353 | View › |
| Lookout Mountain | 1,287 | View › |
4 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.