In 2025, fire departments serving Hopkinton responded to 70 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K 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 59% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
328 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 56 | — | |
| 2022 | 47 | -16.1% | |
| 2023 | 63 | +34.0% | |
| 2024 | 92 | +46.0% | |
| 2025 | 70 | -23.9% |
For the 13 building fires Hopkinton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 48 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 | 14 | 29.2% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 7 | 14.6% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 8.3% | |
| 6 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 12.5% |
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 Hopkinton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 21 | 43.8% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 4 | 8.3% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 4 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 8.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Hopkinton departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $30,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $30,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Hopkinton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,710 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 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 700 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 275 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 256 | 48.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 190 | 21.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 172 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 120 | 48.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 92 | 18.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 79 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 4.6 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 | 03229 | 328 |
Six New Hampshire cities with population within ±25% of Hopkinton. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Hopkinton.
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.