In 2025, fire departments serving Buxton responded to 136 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 68% of all calls.
Oct peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
680 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $2.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 124 | — | |
| 2022 | 116 | -6.5% | |
| 2023 | 166 | +43.1% | |
| 2024 | 138 | -16.9% | |
| 2025 | 136 | -1.4% |
For the 36 building fires Buxton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 108 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 | Outside area, other | 20 | 18.5% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 16 | 14.8% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Other | 6 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 6 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 4.6% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 4.6% | |
| 9 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 5 | 4.6% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 3.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 25 | 23.1% |
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 Buxton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 35 | 32.4% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 11 | 10.2% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 7 | 6.5% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 5 | 4.6% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 4.6% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 4.6% | |
| 8 | Match | 5 | 4.6% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 4 | 3.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 21 | 19.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Buxton departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 97% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $75,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $50,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Buxton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,907 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 | 43.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 314 | 18.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 275 | 36.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 236 | 15.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 139 | 44.2 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 41.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 51 | 48.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 28.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 42 | 11.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 18.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39 | 40.6 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 33 | 13.3 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 Maine cities with population within ±25% of Buxton. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Buxton.
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.