In 2025, fire departments serving Manchester responded to 20 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K 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 80% of all calls.
May peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
148 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $146K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 27 | — | |
| 2022 | 29 | +7.4% | |
| 2023 | 34 | +17.2% | |
| 2024 | 38 | +11.8% | |
| 2025 | 20 | -47.4% |
For the 8 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 47 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 | 17 | 36.2% | |
| 2 | Other | 7 | 14.9% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 14.9% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 8 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 14.9% |
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 | 13 | 27.7% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 9 | 19.1% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 6 | 12.8% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 10.6% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 7 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 2.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Manchester departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Manchester sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,102 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 935 | 27.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 109 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 24.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 90 | 28.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 41.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 74 | 33.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 72 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 59 | 33.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 55 | 29.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 54 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 49 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 48 | 49.7 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 Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Manchester. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Manchester.
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.