In 2025, fire departments serving Horse Shoe responded to 33 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 70% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
117 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $269K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 22 | — | |
| 2022 | 17 | -22.7% | |
| 2023 | 25 | +47.1% | |
| 2024 | 20 | -20.0% | |
| 2025 | 33 | +65.0% |
For the 6 building fires Horse Shoe departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 22 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 | Outside area, other | 3 | 13.6% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 13.6% | |
| 3 | Other | 2 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 9.1% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 2 | 9.1% | |
| 7 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - 5+ persons; including barrack/dormitory | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 18.2% |
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 Horse Shoe mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 6 | 27.3% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 9.1% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 2 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 10 | Candle | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 18.2% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Horse Shoe sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 62,672 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 10,623 | 23.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 7,913 | 21.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 5,964 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 5,500 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,163 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,943 | 43.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 2,404 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2,307 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 2,235 | 28.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,200 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 2,115 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Natural | 2,000 | 49.3 mi |
Top 5 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 Horse Shoe. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Horse Shoe.
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.