In 2025, fire departments serving Harmony responded to 47 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $15K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Hazardous condition, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 66% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
369 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $149K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 63 | — | |
| 2022 | 73 | +15.9% | |
| 2023 | 100 | +37.0% | |
| 2024 | 86 | -14.0% | |
| 2025 | 47 | -45.3% |
For the 3 building fires Harmony departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 144 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 | 38 | 26.4% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 22 | 15.3% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 15 | 10.4% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 9 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 8 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Other | 5 | 3.5% | |
| 9 | Storage area, other | 3 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 3 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 26 | 18.1% |
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 Harmony mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 57 | 39.6% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 12 | 8.3% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 10 | 6.9% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 9 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 8 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Match | 8 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 7 | 4.9% | |
| 9 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 6 | 4.2% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 18 | 12.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Harmony departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $900 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $500 | Natural vegetation fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $500 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $200 | Natural vegetation fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $200 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Harmony sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 8,721 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 | 1,450 | 46.6 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 800 | 38.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 737 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 730 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 675 | 30.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 484 | 34.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Other causes | 430 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 363 | 36.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 310 | 35.6 mi | |
| 1994 | Natural | 262 | 37.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 260 | 34.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 250 | 32.6 mi |
Top 6 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six North Carolina cities with population within ±25% of Harmony. 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.