In 2025, fire departments serving Kensington responded to 96 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $20K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 78% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
421 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $642K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 75 | — | |
| 2022 | 70 | -6.7% | |
| 2023 | 96 | +37.1% | |
| 2024 | 84 | -12.5% | |
| 2025 | 96 | +14.3% |
For the 1 building fires Kensington departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 58 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 11 | 19.0% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 8 | 13.8% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 7 | 12.1% | |
| 4 | Other | 5 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Function area, other | 3 | 5.2% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 3 | 5.2% | |
| 7 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 5.2% | |
| 8 | Outside area, other | 3 | 5.2% | |
| 9 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 19.0% |
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 Kensington mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 23 | 39.7% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 12.1% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 5 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 3 | 5.2% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Chemical, natural heat source, other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 5.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Kensington departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $3,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $3,000 | Outside rubbish fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Kensington sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 5,828 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 640 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 500 | 18.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 13.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 431 | 21.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 408 | 36.2 mi | |
| 1996 | Recreation and ceremony | 405 | 41.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 42.1 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 350 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 344 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 318 | 34.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 35.9 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 46.9 mi |
Top 10 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Maryland cities with population within ±25% of Kensington. 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.