In 2025, fire departments serving Birdsboro responded to 81 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $245K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 68% of all calls.
Jul peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
559 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $890K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 106 | — | |
| 2022 | 104 | -1.9% | |
| 2023 | 143 | +37.5% | |
| 2024 | 125 | -12.6% | |
| 2025 | 81 | -35.2% |
For the 34 building fires Birdsboro departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 62 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 | 17 | 27.4% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 7 | 11.3% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 9.7% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 8.1% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 7 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 15 | 24.2% |
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 Birdsboro mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 27 | 43.5% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 10 | 16.1% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 6.5% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 8.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Birdsboro departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $245,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $90,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Birdsboro sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 6,071 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 935 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 848 | 36.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 741 | 4.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 470 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 308 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 282 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 263 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 250 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 250 | 40.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Recreation and ceremony | 193 | 42.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 184 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2002 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 168 | 41.3 mi |
Top 6 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Birdsboro. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Birdsboro.
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.