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In 2025, fire departments serving Damascus responded to 74 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $102K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 69% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Mar dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
306 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $870K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 79 | — | |
| 2022 | 61 | -22.8% | |
| 2023 | 41 | -32.8% | |
| 2024 | 51 | +24.4% | |
| 2025 | 74 | +45.1% |
For the 5 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 67 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 | 20 | 29.9% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 13.4% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 10.4% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 5 | 7.5% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 12 | 17.9% |
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 Damascus mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 28 | 41.8% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 9 | 13.4% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 7.5% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 6.0% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Fireworks | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 9 | 13.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Damascus departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $102,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $3,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $500 | Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $500 | Grass fire | 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. 491,545 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 193,573 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 138,054 | 31.8 mi | |
| 2017 | Fireworks | 48,488 | 29.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 24,995 | 41.4 mi | |
| 1992 | Smoking | 24,400 | 29.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Natural | 17,442 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 7,500 | 12.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 6,304 | 36.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 6,103 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,508 | 20.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Natural | 3,280 | 39.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 2,810 | 43.2 mi |
Top 6 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Oregon 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.