In 2025, fire departments serving Cockeysville responded to 140 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $75K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 62% of all calls.
May peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
758 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $304K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 137 | — | |
| 2022 | 169 | +23.4% | |
| 2023 | 159 | -5.9% | |
| 2024 | 153 | -3.8% | |
| 2025 | 140 | -8.5% |
For the 2 building fires Cockeysville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 43 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 | 10 | 23.3% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 8 | 18.6% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 9.3% | |
| 4 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 4 | 9.3% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 7 | Other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 16.3% |
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 Cockeysville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 24 | 55.8% | |
| 2 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 14.0% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Sunlight | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Cockeysville departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $2,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,000 | Forest, woods or wildland fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $100 | Fire in portable building, fixed location | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $100 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Cockeysville sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,820 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 522 | 31.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 500 | 31.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 408 | 36.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 36.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 76 | 48.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 34.7 mi | |
| 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 67 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 26.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 55 | 31.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 48 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 48 | 32.4 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 Maryland cities with population within ±25% of Cockeysville. 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.