In 2025, fire departments serving Barton responded to 22 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 95% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
92 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 14 | — | |
| 2022 | 19 | +35.7% | |
| 2023 | 16 | -15.8% | |
| 2024 | 21 | +31.2% | |
| 2025 | 22 | +4.8% |
For the 6 building fires Barton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 9 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 | Undetermined | 4 | 44.4% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 22.2% | |
| 3 | Structural area, other | 1 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 1 | 11.1% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 11.1% |
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 Barton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 7 | 77.8% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 1 | 11.1% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Barton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 13,260 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Natural | 2,743 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,800 | 39.7 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,611 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 888 | 28.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Recreation and ceremony | 755 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 755 | 24.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 610 | 36.3 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 546 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 480 | 24.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Smoking | 467 | 25.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 428 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Smoking | 394 | 38.9 mi |
Top 5 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Maryland cities with population within ±25% of Barton. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Barton.
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.