In 2025, fire departments serving Epsom responded to 108 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $90K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 69% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
429 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $151K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 86 | — | |
| 2022 | 67 | -22.1% | |
| 2023 | 56 | -16.4% | |
| 2024 | 112 | +100.0% | |
| 2025 | 108 | -3.6% |
For the 25 building fires Epsom 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 | Undetermined | 7 | 20.0% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 5 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Outside area, other | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 8 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 20.0% |
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 Epsom mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 31.4% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Lightning | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 8 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Munitions | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 8.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Epsom departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $90,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Epsom sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,664 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 | 35.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 275 | 39.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 190 | 38.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 186 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 92 | 19.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 13.6 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 54 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 54 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 26.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 46 | 39.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 41 | 6.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 36.7 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 Epsom. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Epsom.
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.