In 2025, fire departments serving Ashby responded to 47 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Chimney or flue fire, confined to chimney or flue lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 57% of all calls.
Mar peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
260 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.8M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 53 | — | |
| 2022 | 68 | +28.3% | |
| 2023 | 37 | -45.6% | |
| 2024 | 55 | +48.6% | |
| 2025 | 47 | -14.5% |
For the 4 building fires Ashby departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 41 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 | 10 | 24.4% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 9 | 22.0% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 9.8% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 9.8% | |
| 5 | Storage area, other | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 6 | Other | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Corridor, mall | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 9.8% |
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 Ashby mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 14 | 34.1% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 7 | 17.1% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 9.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Ashby departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $20,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $6,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Chimney or flue fire, confined to chimney or flue | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Ashby sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,271 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 800 | 15.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 700 | 15.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 15.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 256 | 15.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 45.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 14.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 190 | 29.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 186 | 41.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 172 | 15.5 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 120 | 20.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 90 | 46.2 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 Massachusetts cities with population within ±25% of Ashby. 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.