In 2025, fire departments serving Fort Fairfield responded to 47 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $75K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Garbage dump or sanitary landfill fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 47% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
178 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $950K cumulative property loss. 3 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35 | — | |
| 2022 | 40 | +14.3% | |
| 2023 | 31 | -22.5% | |
| 2024 | 25 | -19.4% | |
| 2025 | 47 | +88.0% |
For the 6 building fires Fort Fairfield departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 52 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 13 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 13.5% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 7 | 13.5% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 9.6% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 4 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 7 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 8 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 10 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 9.6% |
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 Fort Fairfield mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 20 | 38.5% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 7 | 13.5% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 6 | 11.5% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 6 | Molten, hot material | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Match | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Chemical reaction | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Munitions | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 7.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Fort Fairfield departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $65,810 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $29,560 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Fort Fairfield sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,428 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 145 | 33.1 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 129 | 18.6 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 92 | 9.5 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 3.5 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 75 | 33.1 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 65 | 29.6 mi | |
| 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 65 | 28.7 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 59 | 2.2 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 56 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2002 | Equipment and vehicle use | 52 | 39.7 mi | |
| 1994 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 29.6 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 43.7 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 | 04742 | 178 |
Six Maine cities with population within ±25% of Fort Fairfield. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Fort Fairfield.
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.