In 2025, fire departments serving Bunnlevel responded to 62 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $25K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 68% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
269 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $484K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 33 | — | |
| 2022 | 40 | +21.2% | |
| 2023 | 72 | +80.0% | |
| 2024 | 62 | -13.9% | |
| 2025 | 62 | +0.0% |
For the 9 building fires Bunnlevel departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 98 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 | Wildland, woods | 20 | 20.4% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 18 | 18.4% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 17 | 17.3% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 17 | 17.3% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 6.1% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Other | 1 | 1.0% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 1.0% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 1.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 6.1% |
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 Bunnlevel mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 54 | 55.1% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 9 | 9.2% | |
| 3 | Cigarette lighter | 9 | 9.2% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Match | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 8 | 8.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Bunnlevel departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $8,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Bunnlevel sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 20,313 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Natural | 5,438 | 32.4 mi | |
| 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,358 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,181 | 45.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,164 | 30.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | 969 | 47.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 795 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 750 | 13.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 697 | 46.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 669 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 586 | 48.3 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 550 | 14.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 547 | 48.6 mi |
Top 5 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six North Carolina cities with population within ±25% of Bunnlevel. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Bunnlevel.
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.