In 2025, fire departments serving Haymarket responded to 171 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 71% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
689 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $3.3M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 93 | — | |
| 2022 | 105 | +12.9% | |
| 2023 | 157 | +49.5% | |
| 2024 | 163 | +3.8% | |
| 2025 | 171 | +4.9% |
For the 5 building fires Haymarket departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 98 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 | 19 | 19.4% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 15 | 15.3% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 15 | 15.3% | |
| 4 | Other | 6 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 6 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Service facilities, other | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 19 | 19.4% |
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 Haymarket mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 45 | 45.9% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 13 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 10 | 10.2% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 7 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 7 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 6 | 6.1% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.0% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 1 | 1.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 2.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Haymarket departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $2,500 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $2,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Trash or rubbish fire, contained | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $250 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Haymarket sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 36,843 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 16,021 | 38.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 6,131 | 41.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 2,138 | 40.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Other causes | 1,989 | 30.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,579 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 1,200 | 37.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,113 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 745 | 44.9 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 640 | 22.8 mi | |
| 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | 608 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Recreation and ceremony | 560 | 48.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 29.2 mi |
Top 7 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Virginia cities with population within ±25% of Haymarket. 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.