In 2025, fire departments serving Bethlehem responded to 90 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $170K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 52% of all calls.
Mar peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
446 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.0M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 62 | — | |
| 2022 | 98 | +58.1% | |
| 2023 | 82 | -16.3% | |
| 2024 | 114 | +39.0% | |
| 2025 | 90 | -21.1% |
For the 7 building fires Bethlehem departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 90 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 30 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 8 | 8.9% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 5 | 5.6% | |
| 4 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 4 | 4.4% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 4.4% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 3 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Fuel tank, fuel line | 3 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 26 | 28.9% |
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 Bethlehem mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 31 | 34.4% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 10 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 7 | 7.8% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 6 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 4.4% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 3 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 3.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 12 | 13.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Bethlehem departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $170,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $12,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $2,000 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Bethlehem sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,591 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 547 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 301 | 39.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 250 | 39.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 215 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 158 | 49.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Natural | 150 | 33.2 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 145 | 48.1 mi | |
| 1993 | Natural | 135 | 39.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 131 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 119 | 35.2 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 119 | 46.0 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 114 | 43.0 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 Georgia cities with population within ±25% of Bethlehem. 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.