In 2025, fire departments serving Essex responded to 219 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K 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 55% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
999 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $908K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 164 | — | |
| 2022 | 161 | -1.8% | |
| 2023 | 187 | +16.1% | |
| 2024 | 268 | +43.3% | |
| 2025 | 219 | -18.3% |
For the 6 building fires Essex departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 78 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 | Outside area, other | 17 | 21.8% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 10 | 12.8% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 7 | 9.0% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 6 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Other | 4 | 5.1% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 10 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 19 | 24.4% |
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 Essex mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 37 | 47.4% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 9.0% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 7 | 9.0% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 6 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 6 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Fireworks | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 6.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Essex departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 92% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $45,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $35,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $25,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $20,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Essex sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,297 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 | 19.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 500 | 24.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 431 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 408 | 22.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 150 | 35.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 22.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 36.0 mi | |
| 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 67 | 33.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 17.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 55 | 37.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 48 | 29.1 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 Maryland cities with population within ±25% of Essex. 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.