In 2025, fire departments serving Funkstown responded to 68 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $15K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 53% of all calls.
Jan peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
309 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $74K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 38 | — | |
| 2022 | 61 | +60.5% | |
| 2023 | 70 | +14.8% | |
| 2024 | 72 | +2.9% | |
| 2025 | 68 | -5.6% |
For the 14 building fires Funkstown departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 19 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 | 7 | 36.8% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 15.8% | |
| 3 | Other | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 5 | Assembly area - less than 100 persons | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 5.3% |
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 Funkstown mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 10 | 52.6% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Candle | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 1 | 5.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Funkstown departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Funkstown sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,209 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 14.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 39.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Recreation and ceremony | 405 | 33.9 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 34.8 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 350 | 36.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 345 | 44.0 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 34.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 145 | 17.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 105 | 33.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 76 | 29.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 72 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 70 | 44.3 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 Funkstown. 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.