In 2025, fire departments serving Damascus responded to 33 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $4K 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 61% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
133 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $296K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 22 | — | |
| 2022 | 21 | -4.5% | |
| 2023 | 33 | +57.1% | |
| 2024 | 24 | -27.3% | |
| 2025 | 33 | +37.5% |
For the 9 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 87 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 | Undetermined | 28 | 32.2% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 21 | 24.1% | |
| 3 | Other | 5 | 5.7% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 5.7% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Construction/renovation area | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 11.5% |
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 | 65 | 74.7% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 6 | Fireworks | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 1.1% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.1% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.1% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 1.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 4.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Damascus departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $4,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Damascus sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 44,385 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 10,120 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 5,832 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,850 | 46.1 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 2,738 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,050 | 37.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,727 | 33.8 mi | |
| 2013 | Smoking | 1,509 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,500 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,450 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,094 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,000 | 44.4 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 Virginia 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.