In 2025, fire departments serving Darrington responded to 27 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $45K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Cooking fire, confined to container lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 52% of all calls.
Sep peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
216 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $814K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 64 | — | |
| 2022 | 39 | -39.1% | |
| 2023 | 53 | +35.9% | |
| 2024 | 33 | -37.7% | |
| 2025 | 27 | -18.2% |
For the 1 building fires Darrington departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 60 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 | 15 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Other | 6 | 10.0% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 5 | 8.3% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 5 | 8.3% | |
| 7 | Conduit, pipe, utility, or ventilation shaft | 3 | 5.0% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 15.0% |
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 Darrington mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 28 | 46.7% | |
| 2 | Match | 7 | 11.7% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 5 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 8.3% | |
| 6 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 9 | Incendiary device | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 6.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Darrington departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $45,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Darrington sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 142,124 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Natural | 65,621 | 43.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Natural | 21,300 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 9,252 | 40.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Natural | 7,107 | 33.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 3,880 | 34.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 3,700 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Natural | 3,654 | 25.5 mi | |
| 1994 | Natural | 3,241 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Natural | 3,166 | 18.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 3,075 | 38.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Natural | 2,409 | 38.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Natural | 2,301 | 42.0 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 Washington cities with population within ±25% of Darrington. 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.