In 2025, fire departments serving Falconer responded to 26 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 54% of all calls.
May peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
146 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $296K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28 | — | |
| 2022 | 30 | +7.1% | |
| 2023 | 32 | +6.7% | |
| 2024 | 30 | -6.2% | |
| 2025 | 26 | -13.3% |
For the 2 building fires Falconer departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 23 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 | 6 | 26.1% | |
| 2 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 13.0% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 13.0% | |
| 4 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 5 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Maintenance shop or area, paint shop or area | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 13.0% |
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 Falconer mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 8 | 34.8% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 4 | 17.4% | |
| 3 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 3 | 13.0% | |
| 4 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 5 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Molten, hot material | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Match | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 4.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Falconer departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Falconer sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,947 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 780 | 29.4 mi | |
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 92 | 4.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 85 | 28.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 72 | 20.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 65 | 40.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Recreation and ceremony | 64 | 21.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 59 | 41.1 mi | |
| 1992 | Equipment and vehicle use | 54 | 22.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 54 | 29.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 20.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 49 | 34.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 49 | 34.0 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 | 14733 | 146 |
Six New York cities with population within ±25% of Falconer. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Falconer.
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.