In 2025, fire departments serving Lewes responded to 114 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $20K 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 51% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
609 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $541K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 148 | — | |
| 2022 | 106 | -28.4% | |
| 2023 | 111 | +4.7% | |
| 2024 | 130 | +17.1% | |
| 2025 | 114 | -12.3% |
For the 17 building fires Lewes departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 83 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 | Undetermined | 48 | 57.8% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 6 | 7.2% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 6.0% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 5 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Other | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 12.0% |
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 Lewes mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 67 | 80.7% | |
| 2 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 8 | Fireworks | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 10 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 1.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Lewes departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20,000 | Water vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $2,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Lewes sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 15,061 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,000 | 32.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,535 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Natural | 1,518 | 37.1 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,250 | 12.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,238 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 835 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 765 | 40.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 700 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 518 | 33.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 511 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 43.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 33.7 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 Delaware cities with population within ±25% of Lewes. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Lewes.
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.