In 2025, fire departments serving Chatham responded to 40 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $1K 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 70% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
218 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $32K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 42 | — | |
| 2022 | 34 | -19.0% | |
| 2023 | 70 | +105.9% | |
| 2024 | 32 | -54.3% | |
| 2025 | 40 | +25.0% |
For the 12 building fires Chatham departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 17 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 | Equipment or service area, other | 3 | 17.6% | |
| 2 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 3 | 17.6% | |
| 3 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 11.8% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 11.8% | |
| 6 | Other | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 8 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 9 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 10 | Undetermined | 1 | 5.9% |
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 Chatham mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 23.5% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 4 | 23.5% | |
| 3 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 17.6% | |
| 4 | Cigarette | 2 | 11.8% | |
| 5 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 11.8% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Radiated heat from another fire | 1 | 5.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Chatham departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Chatham sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,685 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Natural | 384 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 321 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Recreation and ceremony | 285 | 48.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 272 | 29.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 146 | 39.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 130 | 18.0 mi | |
| 1993 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 42.2 mi | |
| 1993 | Equipment and vehicle use | 90 | 24.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 39.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 79 | 29.9 mi | |
| 1995 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 34.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 65 | 24.1 mi |
Top 7 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six New York cities with population within ±25% of Chatham. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Chatham.
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.