In 2025, fire departments serving Damascus responded to 70 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 63% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
325 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $702K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 66 | — | |
| 2022 | 64 | -3.0% | |
| 2023 | 65 | +1.6% | |
| 2024 | 60 | -7.7% | |
| 2025 | 70 | +16.7% |
For the 7 building fires Damascus departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 59 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 | Wildland, woods | 9 | 15.3% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 11.9% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 7 | 11.9% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 11.9% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 7 | 11.9% | |
| 6 | Other | 5 | 8.5% | |
| 7 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 3 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 13.6% |
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 Damascus mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 20 | 33.9% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 8 | 13.6% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 11.9% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 8.5% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 4 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 8.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Damascus departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,200 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $3,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Damascus sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,554 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 500 | 30.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 10.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 431 | 39.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 408 | 47.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Recreation and ceremony | 405 | 35.9 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 36.6 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 350 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 318 | 47.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 48.9 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 43.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 105 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 47.0 mi |
Top 10 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 Damascus. 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.