In 2025, fire departments serving Ellicott City responded to 173 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $15K 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 57% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
932 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $19K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 223 | — | |
| 2022 | 128 | -42.6% | |
| 2023 | 192 | +50.0% | |
| 2024 | 216 | +12.5% | |
| 2025 | 173 | -19.9% |
For the 4 building fires Ellicott City departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 85 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 | 20 | 23.5% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 17 | 20.0% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 13 | 15.3% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 8 | 9.4% | |
| 5 | Other | 4 | 4.7% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 3.5% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 11.8% |
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 Ellicott City mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 45 | 52.9% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 9.4% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 6 | 7.1% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 6 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 5.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Ellicott City departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $1,000 | Chimney or flue fire, confined to chimney or flue | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1 | Natural vegetation fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Ellicott City sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,315 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 | 40.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 500 | 18.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 26.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 431 | 38.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 408 | 30.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 150 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 30.9 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 76 | 34.5 mi | |
| 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 67 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 16.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 55 | 16.3 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 48 | 37.5 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 Maryland cities with population within ±25% of Ellicott City. 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.