In 2025, fire departments serving Chelsea responded to 24 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100 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 71% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
186 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $196K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 34 | — | |
| 2022 | 34 | +0.0% | |
| 2023 | 44 | +29.4% | |
| 2024 | 50 | +13.6% | |
| 2025 | 24 | -52.0% |
For the 4 building fires Chelsea 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 29.4% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 5 | 29.4% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 11.8% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Shipping/receiving area; loading area, dock or bay | 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 Chelsea mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 10 | 58.8% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 17.6% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Lightning | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 5.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Chelsea departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Chelsea sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 729 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 77 | 36.1 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 57 | 4.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 48 | 24.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 25.8 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 35.7 mi | |
| 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39 | 26.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 35 | 37.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 33 | 29.5 mi | |
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 32 | 24.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 31 | 35.1 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 29 | 20.0 mi |
Top 2 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 Chelsea. 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.