In 2025, fire departments serving East Dennis responded to 25 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $2K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 60% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Mar dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
188 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $1.2M cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 61 | — | |
| 2022 | 36 | -41.0% | |
| 2023 | 32 | -11.1% | |
| 2024 | 34 | +6.2% | |
| 2025 | 25 | -26.5% |
For the 2 building fires East Dennis departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 32 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 18.8% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 6 | 18.8% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 5 | 15.6% | |
| 4 | Other | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 15.6% |
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 East Dennis mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 18 | 56.2% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 15.6% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Candle | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 1 | 3.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by East Dennis departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Heat from short circuit (wiring), defective/worn | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. East Dennis sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 12 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 321 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Natural | 120 | 18.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 55 | 40.6 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 29 | 21.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | 20 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | 15 | 16.1 mi | |
| 2017 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 15 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 13 | 20.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | 13 | 15.8 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 11 | 10.4 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 | 23.8 mi | |
| 2004 | Equipment and vehicle use | 10 | 21.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | 10 | 9.7 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 Massachusetts cities with population within ±25% of East Dennis. 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.