In 2025, fire departments serving Arlington responded to 39 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Vehicle accident, general cleanup lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 80% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
225 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $200K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50 | — | |
| 2022 | 47 | -6.0% | |
| 2023 | 50 | +6.4% | |
| 2024 | 39 | -22.0% | |
| 2025 | 39 | +0.0% |
For the 9 building fires Arlington departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 16 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 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 5 | Function area, other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 10 | Wall assembly | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 12.5% |
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 Arlington mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 5 | 31.2% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 9 | Lightning | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 6.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Arlington departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Arlington sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,078 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 272 | 24.7 mi | |
| 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 270 | 23.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 173 | 34.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 130 | 37.4 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 27.0 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 96 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 83 | 16.3 mi | |
| 1995 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 14.9 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 73 | 36.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 65 | 37.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 62 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 38.4 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 Vermont cities with population within ±25% of Arlington. 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.