In 2025, fire departments serving Loch Sheldrake responded to 24 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 75% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
166 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 38 | — | |
| 2022 | 44 | +15.8% | |
| 2023 | 36 | -18.2% | |
| 2024 | 24 | -33.3% | |
| 2025 | 24 | +0.0% |
For the 2 building fires Loch Sheldrake departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 29 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 | 6 | 20.7% | |
| 2 | Other | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Storage area, other | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 7 | Function area, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Closet | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 17.2% |
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 Loch Sheldrake mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 13 | 44.8% | |
| 2 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 7 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 1 | 3.4% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Loch Sheldrake sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 25,255 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 7,949 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Smoking | 2,855 | 21.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 2,759 | 15.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,028 | 17.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 998 | 21.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 995 | 45.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Smoking | 866 | 19.6 mi | |
| 1999 | Smoking | 700 | 43.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 615 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 552 | 46.0 mi | |
| 1994 | Smoking | 500 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 485 | 44.8 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 Loch Sheldrake. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Loch Sheldrake.
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.