In 2025, fire departments serving Chadbourn responded to 38 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 87% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
123 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. 4 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 16 | — | |
| 2022 | 16 | +0.0% | |
| 2023 | 15 | -6.2% | |
| 2024 | 38 | +153.3% | |
| 2025 | 38 | +0.0% |
For the 18 building fires Chadbourn departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 31 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 | 9 | 29.0% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 9 | 29.0% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 5 | Other | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Structural area, other | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 1 | 3.2% |
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 Chadbourn mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 51.6% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Match | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 3.2% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Chadbourn sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 45,623 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 19,130 | 35.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 5,438 | 36.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,084 | 41.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,911 | 35.3 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 1,648 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 1,577 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,164 | 37.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Fireworks | 1,155 | 38.8 mi | |
| 1993 | Debris and open burning | 970 | 46.6 mi | |
| 1993 | Debris and open burning | 900 | 37.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 844 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 830 | 33.2 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 North Carolina cities with population within ±25% of Chadbourn. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Chadbourn.
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.