In 2025, fire departments serving Alfred responded to 57 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $164K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 70% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
372 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 86 | — | |
| 2022 | 56 | -34.9% | |
| 2023 | 74 | +32.1% | |
| 2024 | 99 | +33.8% | |
| 2025 | 57 | -42.4% |
For the 16 building fires Alfred departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 29 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 | Outside area, other | 6 | 20.7% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 5 | 17.2% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 5 | 17.2% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Structural area, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 6.9% |
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 Alfred mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 13 | 44.8% | |
| 2 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 4 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Match | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 10.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Alfred departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $163,585 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $200 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Alfred sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,954 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 329 | 43.9 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 314 | 7.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 275 | 33.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 236 | 26.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 139 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 92 | 41.1 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 46.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 47.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 18.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 42 | 18.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 41 | 37.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 8.4 mi |
Top 2 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Maine cities with population within ±25% of Alfred. 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.