In 2025, fire departments serving Bucksport responded to 83 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Forest, woods or wildland fire 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.
356 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $766K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 73 | — | |
| 2022 | 63 | -13.7% | |
| 2023 | 72 | +14.3% | |
| 2024 | 65 | -9.7% | |
| 2025 | 83 | +27.7% |
For the 14 building fires Bucksport departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 39 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 | 10 | 25.6% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 5 | 12.8% | |
| 3 | Wall surface: exterior | 4 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 6 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Exterior, exposed surface | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Sales area, showroom (exclude display window) | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 20.5% |
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 Bucksport mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 8 | 20.5% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 12.8% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 12.8% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 5 | 12.8% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 12.8% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 4 | 10.3% | |
| 7 | Chemical reaction | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Radiated heat from another fire | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Bucksport departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $12,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Chimney or flue fire, confined to chimney or flue | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $2,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Bucksport sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,010 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 215 | 45.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 205 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 200 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 161 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 124 | 31.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 120 | 43.4 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 105 | 41.3 mi | |
| 1994 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 100 | 28.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 85 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 77 | 22.8 mi | |
| 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 61 | 47.7 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 Bucksport. 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.