In 2025, fire departments serving Fryeburg responded to 110 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Vehicle accident, general cleanup lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 70% of all calls.
Sep peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
512 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $584K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 71 | — | |
| 2022 | 101 | +42.3% | |
| 2023 | 94 | -6.9% | |
| 2024 | 136 | +44.7% | |
| 2025 | 110 | -19.1% |
For the 6 building fires Fryeburg departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 29 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 | 7 | 24.1% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 3 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Closet | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 13.8% |
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 Fryeburg mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 14 | 48.3% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 17.2% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Incendiary device | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Sunlight | 1 | 3.4% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Fryeburg sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,185 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 329 | 15.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 314 | 47.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 275 | 24.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 236 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 139 | 12.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 100 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 72 | 42.0 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 64 | 34.3 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 6.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 54 | 47.9 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 51 | 19.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 35.7 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 | 04037 | 512 |
Six Maine cities with population within ±25% of Fryeburg. 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.