In 2025, fire departments serving Lewiston responded to 67 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 90% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
242 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $178K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 53 | — | |
| 2022 | 46 | -13.2% | |
| 2023 | 39 | -15.2% | |
| 2024 | 37 | -5.1% | |
| 2025 | 67 | +81.1% |
For the 5 building fires Lewiston departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 15 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 | 4 | 26.7% | |
| 2 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 13.3% | |
| 4 | Other | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Wall assembly | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 10 | Vacant structural area | 1 | 6.7% |
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 Lewiston mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 9 | 60.0% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 2 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 2 | 13.3% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 6.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Lewiston departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Lewiston sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 38,480 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 8,586 | 21.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 5,818 | 26.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 5,200 | 27.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,250 | 12.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,900 | 15.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,557 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1,345 | 25.7 mi | |
| 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,238 | 28.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 1,040 | 32.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,035 | 21.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 844 | 17.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | 840 | 21.7 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 Michigan cities with population within ±25% of Lewiston. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Lewiston.
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.