In 2025, fire departments serving Bryans Road responded to 118 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $60K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 75% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
474 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $373K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 87 | — | |
| 2022 | 112 | +28.7% | |
| 2023 | 81 | -27.7% | |
| 2024 | 76 | -6.2% | |
| 2025 | 118 | +55.3% |
For the 19 building fires Bryans Road departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 38 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 | 9 | 23.7% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 9 | 23.7% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 5 | 13.2% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 10.5% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Wall assembly | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 7.9% |
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 Bryans Road mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 24 | 63.2% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 13.2% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 5.3% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Candle | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 1 | 2.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Bryans Road departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 96% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $60,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $35,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $25,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $8,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $6,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $3,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $2,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $2,500 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Bryans Road sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 5,537 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 640 | 17.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 500 | 34.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 431 | 10.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 408 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 370 | 47.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 344 | 20.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 318 | 17.9 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 18.6 mi | |
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 225 | 47.6 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 29.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 157 | 40.9 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 Maryland cities with population within ±25% of Bryans Road. 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.