In 2025, fire departments serving Mechanicville responded to 61 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $25K 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 82% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
441 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $71K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 65 | — | |
| 2022 | 81 | +24.6% | |
| 2023 | 134 | +65.4% | |
| 2024 | 100 | -25.4% | |
| 2025 | 61 | -39.0% |
For the 6 building fires Mechanicville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 9 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 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Other | 1 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Corridor, mall | 1 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Egress/exit, other | 1 | 11.1% | |
| 5 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 11.1% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 11.1% | |
| 7 | Outside area, other | 1 | 11.1% |
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 Mechanicville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 22.2% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 1 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 11.1% | |
| 5 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 11.1% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 1 | 11.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Mechanicville departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $25,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $250 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Mechanicville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,794 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Smoking | 310 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 272 | 30.2 mi | |
| 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 270 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 266 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 190 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 173 | 32.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 130 | 33.4 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 17.1 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 96 | 23.2 mi | |
| 1993 | Equipment and vehicle use | 90 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 83 | 32.3 mi | |
| 1995 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 16.9 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 New York cities with population within ±25% of Mechanicville. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
4 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Mechanicville.
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.