In 2025, fire departments serving Highlands responded to 97 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 61% of all calls.
Dec peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
422 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $30K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 60 | — | |
| 2022 | 86 | +43.3% | |
| 2023 | 82 | -4.7% | |
| 2024 | 97 | +18.3% | |
| 2025 | 97 | +0.0% |
For the 9 building fires Highlands departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 84 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 | 16 | 19.0% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 14 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Other | 7 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 6 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 6.0% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Function area, other | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 21 | 25.0% |
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 Highlands mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 48 | 57.1% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 12 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 5 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 6.0% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Highlands sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 112,302 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 24,725 | 21.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 17,140 | 42.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 10,641 | 25.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 10,623 | 25.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 9,036 | 25.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 7,788 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 7,580 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,422 | 20.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,231 | 30.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2,307 | 33.5 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,040 | 48.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 1,450 | 47.2 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 North Carolina cities with population within ±25% of Highlands. 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.