In 2025, fire departments serving Frederica responded to 35 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $15K 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 74% of all calls.
May peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
202 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 30 | — | |
| 2022 | 54 | +80.0% | |
| 2023 | 36 | -33.3% | |
| 2024 | 47 | +30.6% | |
| 2025 | 35 | -25.5% |
For the 7 building fires Frederica departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 69 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 | Undetermined | 38 | 55.1% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 5 | 7.2% | |
| 3 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Egress/exit, other | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 11.6% |
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 Frederica mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 51 | 73.9% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 8 | 11.6% | |
| 3 | Fireworks | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 7 | Match | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 1.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Frederica departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $500 | Fire in portable building, fixed location | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Frederica sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 19,454 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 3,208 | 50.0 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,000 | 13.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,535 | 28.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Natural | 1,518 | 29.1 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,250 | 11.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,238 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,057 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 835 | 43.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 765 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 700 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 569 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 552 | 50.0 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 Delaware cities with population within ±25% of Frederica. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Frederica.
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.