In 2025, fire departments serving Hermon responded to 52 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $24K 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 62% of all calls.
Sep peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
280 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $124K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 34 | — | |
| 2022 | 51 | +50.0% | |
| 2023 | 76 | +49.0% | |
| 2024 | 67 | -11.8% | |
| 2025 | 52 | -22.4% |
For the 10 building fires Hermon 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 | Undetermined | 6 | 20.7% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 4 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 7 | Exterior, exposed surface | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 8 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 10.3% |
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 Hermon mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 14 | 48.3% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 6 | 20.7% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 5 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 3.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Hermon departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $23,900 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $2,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Hermon sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,030 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 124 | 43.6 mi | |
| 1994 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 100 | 39.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 77 | 31.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 61 | 33.5 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 15.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Other causes | 50 | 36.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 48 | 34.5 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 42 | 27.8 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 22.3 mi | |
| 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 33.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 35 | 23.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 34 | 16.4 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 | 04401 | 280 |
Six Maine cities with population within ±25% of Hermon. 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.