In 2025, fire departments serving Folcroft responded to 94 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 81% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
607 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 145 | — | |
| 2022 | 124 | -14.5% | |
| 2023 | 136 | +9.7% | |
| 2024 | 108 | -20.6% | |
| 2025 | 94 | -13.0% |
For the 34 building fires Folcroft departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 62 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 | 10 | 16.1% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 9 | 14.5% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 9.7% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 4 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Other | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 18 | 29.0% |
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 Folcroft mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 18 | 29.0% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 11.3% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 6 | 9.7% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 6 | 9.7% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Fireworks | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 9 | 14.5% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Folcroft sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 63,223 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | 11,765 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 11,638 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,577 | 36.8 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,900 | 37.2 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,600 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,450 | 32.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,300 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,240 | 40.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,107 | 26.2 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,000 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,950 | 29.2 mi | |
| 1997 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,900 | 33.3 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 Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Folcroft. 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.