In 2025, fire departments serving McDowell County responded to 228 fire and hazmat incidents — including a single $150K property loss. FEMA NRI rates wildfire risk here as High.
Building fires lead by count. Top five categories make up about 60% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Nov dips.
1,203 incidents from 2021 through 2025.
| Year | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 223 | |
| 2022 | 222 | |
| 2023 | 228 | |
| 2024 | 302 | |
| 2025 | 228 |
For the 45 building fires departments responded to in 2025, here's how investigators classified them.
Largest single-incident property losses in McDowell County during 2025. These 10 fires alone account for 87% of the county's total.
| # | Property loss | City | Type | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $150,000 | roderfield | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant |
| 2 | $100,000 | Avondale | Fire, other | Significant |
| 3 | $100,000 | iaeger | Forest, woods or wildland fire | Significant |
| 4 | $100,000 | avondale | Building fires | Significant |
| 5 | $75,000 | Panther | Fire, other | Significant |
| 6 | $65,000 | bradshaw | Building fires | Significant |
| 7 | $50,000 | Iaeger | Fire, other | Significant |
| 8 | $50,000 | Northfork | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant |
| 9 | $45,000 | Iaeger | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant |
| 10 | $25,000 | Maybeury | Building fires | Significant |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples.
12 cities mapped to FIPS 54047.
14 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 | GAULEY MTN | 1991 | NPS | 12,324 |
| 2 | Steep Valley | 2023 | NPS | 2,182 |
| 3 | Dry Hollow Fire | 2019 | USFS | 1,288 |
| 4 | ABRAHAM | 2001 | NPS | 547 |
| 5 | Castle | 2018 | USFS | 427 |
| 6 | Unnamed fire | 1981 | NPS | 412 |
| 7 | Highland | 2024 | NPS | 231 |
| 8 | North | 2017 | USFS | 192 |
| 9 | 947 | 2023 | USFS | 165 |
| 10 | 873122 | 1987 | NPS | 162 |
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.