In 2025, fire departments serving Highland responded to 62 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $800K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 49% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Mar dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
297 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $2.7M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 53 | — | |
| 2022 | 65 | +22.6% | |
| 2023 | 59 | -9.2% | |
| 2024 | 58 | -1.7% | |
| 2025 | 62 | +6.9% |
For the 5 building fires Highland departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 38 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 | 9 | 23.7% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 13.2% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 7.9% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 3 | 7.9% | |
| 5 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 3 | 7.9% | |
| 6 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 2 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 21.1% |
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 Highland mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 42.1% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 6 | 15.8% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 7.9% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 7 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Match | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 10.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Highland departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $800,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $4,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $500 | Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Highland sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 482,057 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Natural | 102,191 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Natural | 44,345 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 33,838 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 31,661 | 38.9 mi | |
| 2013 | Natural | 31,010 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25,456 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 22,045 | 43.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 18,620 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 16,116 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 15,330 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 14,293 | 44.5 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 13,926 | 29.7 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 Utah cities with population within ±25% of Highland. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Highland.
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.