In 2025, fire departments serving Brunswick responded to 63 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 59% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
286 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $80K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 56 | — | |
| 2022 | 61 | +8.9% | |
| 2023 | 55 | -9.8% | |
| 2024 | 51 | -7.3% | |
| 2025 | 63 | +23.5% |
For the 7 building fires Brunswick departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 26 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 | 7 | 26.9% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 23.1% | |
| 3 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Other | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 10 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 7.7% |
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 Brunswick mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 10 | 38.5% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 3.8% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Brunswick sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 7,637 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Other causes | 1,989 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 1,200 | 48.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 31.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 22.3 mi | |
| 1996 | Recreation and ceremony | 405 | 17.5 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 18.5 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 350 | 20.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Natural | 300 | 44.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Smoking | 230 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 166 | 46.6 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 22.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 145 | 33.1 mi |
Top 3 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 Brunswick. 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.