In 2025, fire departments serving Buckfield responded to 58 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Vehicle accident, general cleanup lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 79% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
241 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $7K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 30 | — | |
| 2022 | 35 | +16.7% | |
| 2023 | 50 | +42.9% | |
| 2024 | 68 | +36.0% | |
| 2025 | 58 | -14.7% |
For the 2 building fires Buckfield departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 12 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 | 4 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 16.7% | |
| 4 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 1 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 8.3% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 8.3% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 1 | 8.3% |
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 Buckfield mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 5 | 41.7% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 1 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 8.3% | |
| 6 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 8.3% | |
| 7 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 8.3% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Buckfield sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,416 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 329 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 236 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 139 | 43.5 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 64 | 22.3 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 33.2 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 57 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 51 | 22.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 43 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 22.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 12.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39 | 8.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 33 | 5.4 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 Maine cities with population within ±25% of Buckfield. 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.