In 2025, fire departments serving Amsterdam responded to 116 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $3K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Hazardous condition, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 72% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
645 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $3K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 124 | — | |
| 2022 | 137 | +10.5% | |
| 2023 | 179 | +30.7% | |
| 2024 | 89 | -50.3% | |
| 2025 | 116 | +30.3% |
For the 23 building fires Amsterdam departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 27 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 22.2% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 5 | 18.5% | |
| 3 | Other | 4 | 14.8% | |
| 4 | Storage area, other | 3 | 11.1% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Incinerator area | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 1 | 3.7% |
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 Amsterdam mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 10 | 37.0% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 4 | 14.8% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Backfire from internal combustion engine | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 1 | 3.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Amsterdam departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $3,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Amsterdam sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,308 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Smoking | 310 | 37.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 266 | 25.3 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 190 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 173 | 36.7 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 27.5 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 96 | 14.1 mi | |
| 1993 | Equipment and vehicle use | 90 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 83 | 49.6 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 43.5 mi | |
| 1995 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2002 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 75 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 73 | 25.0 mi |
Top 4 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six New York cities with population within ±25% of Amsterdam. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
5 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Amsterdam.
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.