South Central Reporter

Virden Fire Protection District responded to 53 calls in 2017 - 89.3 percent more than the previous year, according to data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System.

The calls in Virden included 40 fires - 18 structure fires, five vehicle fires and 17 other fires.

In all, the department saw $1,355,000 in fire loss - or about $33,875 per fire.

The department also received 13 false calls, including one malicious call and 12 other false calls.

The Virden Fire Protection District had an annual budget of $208,341 in 2017.

	2016	2017	Year-over-year change (%)
Structure Fires	8	18	125
Vehicle Fires	4	5	25
Other fires	11	17	54.5
Total Fires	23	40	73.9
Total Calls	28	53	89.3