In 2025, fire departments serving Carver responded to 10 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 100% of all calls.
Feb peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
40 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $2.7M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 7 | — | |
| 2022 | 11 | +57.1% | |
| 2023 | 5 | -54.5% | |
| 2024 | 7 | +40.0% | |
| 2025 | 10 | +42.9% |
For the 3 building fires Carver departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 30 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 | 8 | 26.7% | |
| 2 | Wall assembly | 3 | 10.0% | |
| 3 | Storage area, other | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Machinery room or area; elevator machinery room | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 26.7% |
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 Carver mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat source: other | 7 | 23.3% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 6 | 20.0% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 16.7% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 5 | 16.7% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 10.0% | |
| 6 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 3.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Carver departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $30,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Carver sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,059 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 120 | 15.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 90 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 55 | 8.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Smoking | 50 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 32 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 35.7 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 29 | 25.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 27 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | 26 | 29.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 25 | 42.8 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 02330 | 40 |
Six Massachusetts cities with population within ±25% of Carver. 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.