In 2025, fire departments serving Lebanon responded to 138 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $318K 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 68% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
732 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $2.7M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 157 | — | |
| 2022 | 160 | +1.9% | |
| 2023 | 131 | -18.1% | |
| 2024 | 146 | +11.5% | |
| 2025 | 138 | -5.5% |
For the 45 building fires Lebanon departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 105 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 | 17 | 16.2% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 13 | 12.4% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 12 | 11.4% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 12 | 11.4% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 9 | 8.6% | |
| 6 | Other | 8 | 7.6% | |
| 7 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 5 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 18 | 17.1% |
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 Lebanon mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 39 | 37.1% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 16 | 15.2% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 7 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Match | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 15 | 14.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Lebanon departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $318,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Chimney or flue fire, confined to chimney or flue | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $3,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,800 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Lebanon sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,914 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 329 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 314 | 12.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 275 | 31.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 236 | 36.5 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 139 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 92 | 32.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 37.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 13.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 42 | 28.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 41 | 26.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 13.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 33 | 22.8 mi |
Top 6 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Maine cities with population within ±25% of Lebanon. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Lebanon.
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.