In 2025, fire departments serving Mercer responded to 11 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Biological hazard, confirmed or suspected lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 91% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
70 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $80K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 12 | — | |
| 2022 | 15 | +25.0% | |
| 2023 | 21 | +40.0% | |
| 2024 | 11 | -47.6% | |
| 2025 | 11 | +0.0% |
For the 1 building fires Mercer departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 8 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 | 2 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 2 | 25.0% | |
| 3 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 12.5% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 12.5% | |
| 6 | Wall assembly | 1 | 12.5% |
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 Mercer mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 5 | 62.5% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 1 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 1 | 12.5% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Mercer sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 865 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 77 | 49.2 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 64 | 39.4 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 57 | 28.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 48 | 38.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 43 | 27.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 21.8 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 28.4 mi | |
| 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 27.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39 | 36.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 35 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 33 | 29.3 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 | 04957 | 70 |
Six Maine cities with population within ±25% of Mercer. 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.