In 2025, fire departments serving Middle River responded to 223 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 51% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
1,063 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $662K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 195 | — | |
| 2022 | 224 | +14.9% | |
| 2023 | 194 | -13.4% | |
| 2024 | 227 | +17.0% | |
| 2025 | 223 | -1.8% |
For the 11 building fires Middle River departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 80 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 | 21 | 26.2% | |
| 2 | Other | 8 | 10.0% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 8.8% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 8.8% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 5 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 4 | 5.0% | |
| 7 | Undetermined | 4 | 5.0% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 16 | 20.0% |
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 Middle River mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 28 | 35.0% | |
| 2 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 10 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 9 | 11.2% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 7.5% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 4 | 5.0% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 5.0% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 4 | 5.0% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 8 | 10.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Middle River departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 88% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $15,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Middle River sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,878 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 | 18.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 500 | 27.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 408 | 25.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 150 | 37.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 25.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 33.0 mi | |
| 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 67 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 20.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 55 | 38.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 48 | 31.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 48 | 44.1 mi |
Top 2 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 Middle River. 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.