In 2025, fire departments serving Edgemere responded to 59 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $300K 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 71% of all calls.
May peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
229 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $713K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 42 | — | |
| 2022 | 54 | +28.6% | |
| 2023 | 32 | -40.7% | |
| 2024 | 42 | +31.2% | |
| 2025 | 59 | +40.5% |
For the 4 building fires Edgemere departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 13 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 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 3 | 23.1% | |
| 2 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 4 | Function area, other | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Wall assembly | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 7 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 8 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 9 | Exterior, exposed surface | 1 | 7.7% |
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 Edgemere mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 4 | 30.8% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 23.1% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 7 | Fireworks | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 7.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Edgemere departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $300,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $300,000 | Fire, other | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $8,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $1,000 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $80 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Edgemere sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,656 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 522 | 21.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 500 | 19.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 431 | 43.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 408 | 17.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 344 | 48.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 150 | 31.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 17.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 67 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 12.7 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21219 | 229 |
Six Maryland cities with population within ±25% of Edgemere. 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.