In 2025, fire departments serving Dillsburg responded to 111 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K 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 51% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
518 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $699K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 109 | — | |
| 2022 | 114 | +4.6% | |
| 2023 | 96 | -15.8% | |
| 2024 | 88 | -8.3% | |
| 2025 | 111 | +26.1% |
For the 18 building fires Dillsburg departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 84 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 | 23 | 27.4% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 14 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Other | 7 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 6.0% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 5 | 6.0% | |
| 6 | Structural area, other | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 14 | 16.7% |
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 Dillsburg mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 54 | 64.3% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 7.1% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 6.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Dillsburg departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $25,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $25,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $12,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Dillsburg sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,992 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 935 | 31.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 27.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 90 | 33.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 74 | 36.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 72 | 28.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 70 | 43.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 59 | 35.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 55 | 13.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 48 | 46.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 45 | 39.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | 43 | 40.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 24.4 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 Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Dillsburg. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Dillsburg.
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.