In 2025, fire departments serving Lake George responded to 38 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $5.0M 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 66% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
177 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $5.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 25 | — | |
| 2022 | 30 | +20.0% | |
| 2023 | 42 | +40.0% | |
| 2024 | 42 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 38 | -9.5% |
For the 11 building fires Lake George departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 23 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 | 5 | 21.7% | |
| 2 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 3 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 6 | Other | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Laboratory | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 21.7% |
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 Lake George mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 8 | 34.8% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 13.0% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 13.0% | |
| 4 | Cigarette | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 5 | Backfire from internal combustion engine | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 4.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Lake George departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000,000 | Water vehicle fire | Catastrophic | Investigated |
| 2 | $125,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $26,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $500 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Lake George sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,716 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Smoking | 310 | 27.7 mi | |
| 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 270 | 41.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 266 | 25.9 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 190 | 13.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 173 | 5.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | 121 | 29.3 mi | |
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 117 | 28.6 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 19.8 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 96 | 27.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Natural | 95 | 27.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 83 | 22.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 82 | 37.0 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 New York cities with population within ±25% of Lake George. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Lake George.
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.