In 2025, fire departments serving Highland Park responded to 153 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $1K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 81% of all calls.
Dec peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
629 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $838K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 96 | — | |
| 2022 | 163 | +69.8% | |
| 2023 | 94 | -42.3% | |
| 2024 | 123 | +30.9% | |
| 2025 | 153 | +24.4% |
For the 1 building fires Highland Park departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 28 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 | 21.4% | |
| 2 | Other | 3 | 10.7% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 10.7% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 10.7% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 14.3% |
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 Highland Park mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 17 | 60.7% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 3 | 10.7% | |
| 3 | Candle | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Match | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 3.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Highland Park departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Highland Park sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 56,427 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 19,225 | 41.1 mi | |
| 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,284 | 46.0 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,832 | 47.3 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,900 | 43.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,730 | 37.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,600 | 32.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,300 | 34.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,240 | 33.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 35.4 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,277 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,012 | 44.1 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 | 08904 | 629 |
Six New Jersey cities with population within ±25% of Highland Park. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Highland Park.
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.