In 2025, fire departments serving Manchester responded to 144 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $15K 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 76% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
619 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $213K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 84 | — | |
| 2022 | 128 | +52.4% | |
| 2023 | 124 | -3.1% | |
| 2024 | 139 | +12.1% | |
| 2025 | 144 | +3.6% |
For the 60 building fires Manchester departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 114 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 | 24 | 21.1% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 17 | 14.9% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 11 | 9.6% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 8 | 7.0% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 8 | 7.0% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 5 | 4.4% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 3.5% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 4 | 3.5% | |
| 9 | Other | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 28 | 24.6% |
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 Manchester mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 38 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 13 | 11.4% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 10 | 8.8% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 6 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 6 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 5 | 4.4% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 3.5% | |
| 8 | Arcing | 4 | 3.5% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 3.5% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 4 | 3.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 20 | 17.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Manchester departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $50 | Outside rubbish fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Manchester sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,310 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 522 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 500 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 76 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 55 | 30.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 55 | 34.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 48 | 23.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Smoking | 48 | 39.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39 | 40.5 mi |
Top 3 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Maryland cities with population within ±25% of Manchester. 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.