In 2025, fire departments serving Bow responded to 94 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $400K 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 60% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
377 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $749K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 59 | — | |
| 2022 | 68 | +15.3% | |
| 2023 | 81 | +19.1% | |
| 2024 | 75 | -7.4% | |
| 2025 | 94 | +25.3% |
For the 20 building fires Bow departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 34 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 10 | 29.4% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 17.6% | |
| 3 | Wildland, woods | 5 | 14.7% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 6 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 14.7% |
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 Bow mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 12 | 35.3% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 4 | 11.8% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 5 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 11.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Bow departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $2,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $180 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $1 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Bow sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,144 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 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 700 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 314 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 275 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 256 | 44.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 190 | 28.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 186 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 172 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 92 | 22.0 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 79 | 44.2 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 New Hampshire cities with population within ±25% of Bow. 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.