In 2025, fire departments serving Jersey Shore responded to 61 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 61% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
312 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $69K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48 | — | |
| 2022 | 52 | +8.3% | |
| 2023 | 77 | +48.1% | |
| 2024 | 74 | -3.9% | |
| 2025 | 61 | -17.6% |
For the 13 building fires Jersey Shore departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 81 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 | Cooking area, kitchen | 31 | 38.3% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 9 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 9 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Other | 7 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 8 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Structural area, other | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 11.1% |
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 Jersey Shore mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 27 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 21 | 25.9% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 7 | 8.6% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 10 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 7.4% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Jersey Shore sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 11,848 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,000 | 24.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,329 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 917 | 31.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 688 | 34.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 605 | 14.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 26.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 424 | 38.7 mi | |
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 352 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 348 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 236 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 161 | 29.0 mi |
Top 4 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Jersey Shore. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Jersey Shore.
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.