In 2025, fire departments serving Emmitsburg responded to 77 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 64% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
361 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $995K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 64 | — | |
| 2022 | 84 | +31.2% | |
| 2023 | 54 | -35.7% | |
| 2024 | 82 | +51.9% | |
| 2025 | 77 | -6.1% |
For the 11 building fires Emmitsburg departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 35 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 | 12 | 34.3% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 5 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 5 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Office | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 14.3% |
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 Emmitsburg mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 31.4% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 10 | 28.6% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 5.7% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Emmitsburg sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,383 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 33.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 39.5 mi | |
| 1996 | Recreation and ceremony | 405 | 48.5 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 145 | 36.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 105 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 76 | 34.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 72 | 37.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 58 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 55 | 32.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 55 | 24.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 48 | 37.1 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 Emmitsburg. 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.