In 2025, fire departments serving Ludlow responded to 62 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 61% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
285 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $581K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36 | — | |
| 2022 | 58 | +61.1% | |
| 2023 | 55 | -5.2% | |
| 2024 | 74 | +34.5% | |
| 2025 | 62 | -16.2% |
For the 10 building fires Ludlow departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 24 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 | Other | 5 | 20.8% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 5 | 20.8% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 16.7% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 7 | Structural area, other | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Wall assembly | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Exterior, exposed surface | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 10 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 1 | 4.2% |
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 Ludlow mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 9 | 37.5% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 10 | Match | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 8.3% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Ludlow sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,606 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 270 | 10.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 190 | 39.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 137 | 27.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 120 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 83 | 32.4 mi | |
| 1995 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 47.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 62 | 37.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 8.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 55 | 37.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 47 | 38.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 47 | 40.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 46 | 39.6 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 Vermont cities with population within ±25% of Ludlow. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
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.