In 2025, fire departments serving Athol responded to 104 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 60% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
833 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.1M cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 173 | — | |
| 2022 | 176 | +1.7% | |
| 2023 | 218 | +23.9% | |
| 2024 | 162 | -25.7% | |
| 2025 | 104 | -35.8% |
For the 32 building fires Athol departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 103 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 | 20 | 19.4% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 14 | 13.6% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 10 | 9.7% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 8 | 7.8% | |
| 5 | Other | 7 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 5.8% | |
| 7 | Undetermined | 6 | 5.8% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 5 | 4.9% | |
| 9 | Structural area, other | 4 | 3.9% | |
| 10 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 20 | 19.4% |
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 Athol mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 39 | 37.9% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 13 | 12.6% | |
| 3 | Cigarette | 9 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 6 | 5.8% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 5.8% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 5 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Arcing | 4 | 3.9% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 8 | 7.8% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Athol sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,258 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 | 30.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 700 | 30.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 321 | 41.2 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 30.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 272 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 256 | 30.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 25.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 29.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 190 | 33.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 172 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 120 | 1.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 79 | 29.8 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 Massachusetts cities with population within ±25% of Athol. 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.