In 2025, fire departments serving Beaverton responded to 121 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $40K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 63% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
442 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $340K cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 77 | — | |
| 2022 | 56 | -27.3% | |
| 2023 | 59 | +5.4% | |
| 2024 | 129 | +118.6% | |
| 2025 | 121 | -6.2% |
For the 13 building fires Beaverton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 84 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 | Other | 17 | 20.2% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 13 | 15.5% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 11 | 13.1% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 5 | 6.0% | |
| 6 | Structural area, other | 5 | 6.0% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 15 | 17.9% |
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 Beaverton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 50 | 59.5% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 11 | 13.1% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 4.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Beaverton departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 96% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $2,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $1,500 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Beaverton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 22,053 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 8,586 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 5,818 | 45.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,557 | 24.2 mi | |
| 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,238 | 41.4 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 778 | 41.8 mi | |
| 2004 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 448 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 335 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | 331 | 32.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 311 | 37.5 mi | |
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 289 | 31.9 mi | |
| 1994 | Debris and open burning | 253 | 40.0 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 202 | 33.3 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 Michigan cities with population within ±25% of Beaverton. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Beaverton.
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.