In 2025, fire departments serving Matamoras responded to 47 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K 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 58% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
227 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $250K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 37 | — | |
| 2022 | 53 | +43.2% | |
| 2023 | 46 | -13.2% | |
| 2024 | 44 | -4.3% | |
| 2025 | 47 | +6.8% |
For the 4 building fires Matamoras departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 61 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 11 | 18.0% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 8 | 13.1% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 11.5% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 6 | 9.8% | |
| 5 | Other | 5 | 8.2% | |
| 6 | Storage area, other | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Structural area, other | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Undetermined | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 12 | 19.7% |
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 Matamoras mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 25 | 41.0% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 8 | 13.1% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 8.2% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Fireworks | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 8.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Matamoras departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $100 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Matamoras sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 29,874 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 | 27.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Smoking | 2,855 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 2,759 | 21.9 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,265 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,028 | 27.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 998 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 995 | 27.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Smoking | 866 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 812 | 35.5 mi | |
| 1995 | Recreation and ceremony | 750 | 32.6 mi | |
| 1999 | Smoking | 700 | 35.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 647 | 30.2 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18336 | 227 |
Six Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Matamoras. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Matamoras.
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.