In 2025, fire departments serving Holden responded to 108 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K 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 44% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
520 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $3.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 69 | — | |
| 2022 | 93 | +34.8% | |
| 2023 | 106 | +14.0% | |
| 2024 | 144 | +35.8% | |
| 2025 | 108 | -25.0% |
For the 14 building fires Holden departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 68 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 | Other | 9 | 13.2% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 13.2% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 7 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 8.8% | |
| 5 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 4 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 3 | 4.4% | |
| 7 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 4.4% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 21 | 30.9% |
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 Holden mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 28 | 41.2% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 7 | 10.3% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 8.8% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 5 | 7.4% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 7.4% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 4.4% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 5.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Holden departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $75,000 | Arcing, shorted electrical equipment | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $50,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $1,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Holden sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,305 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 800 | 14.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 700 | 14.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 14.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 256 | 14.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 35.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 14.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 190 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 186 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 172 | 15.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 120 | 24.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | 94 | 45.9 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 Massachusetts cities with population within ±25% of Holden. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Holden.
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.