In 2025, fire departments serving Durham responded to 120 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $80K 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 54% of all calls.
Oct peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
521 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $268K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 87 | — | |
| 2022 | 91 | +4.6% | |
| 2023 | 121 | +33.0% | |
| 2024 | 102 | -15.7% | |
| 2025 | 120 | +17.6% |
For the 15 building fires Durham departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 62 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 | 7 | 11.3% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 9.7% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 8.1% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 8.1% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 4 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 4 | 6.5% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Other | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 21 | 33.9% |
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 Durham mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 19 | 30.6% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 8.1% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 8.1% | |
| 4 | Chemical reaction | 5 | 8.1% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 4 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Lightning | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Sunlight | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 11 | 17.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Durham departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $8,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $3,000 | Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $800 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $250 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $100 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Durham sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,813 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 314 | 22.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 275 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 236 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 186 | 34.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 92 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 90 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 54 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Smoking | 50 | 43.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 31.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 42 | 39.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 41 | 27.6 mi |
Top 4 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six New Hampshire cities with population within ±25% of Durham. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Durham.
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.