In 2025, fire departments serving Fallston responded to 104 fire and hazmat incidents . 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 62% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
466 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $404K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 88 | — | |
| 2022 | 99 | +12.5% | |
| 2023 | 91 | -8.1% | |
| 2024 | 84 | -7.7% | |
| 2025 | 104 | +23.8% |
For the 7 building fires Fallston departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 54 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 | 22.2% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 8 | 14.8% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 13.0% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 6 | 11.1% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 9.3% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Outside area, other | 2 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Other | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 14.8% |
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 Fallston mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 20 | 37.0% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 9.3% | |
| 5 | Lightning | 3 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 2 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Match | 2 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Candle | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 11.1% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Fallston sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,394 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 | 24.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 500 | 38.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 408 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 38.3 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 90 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 24.4 mi | |
| 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 67 | 47.0 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 31.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 55 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 48 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 48 | 42.5 mi |
Top 2 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 Fallston. 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.