In 2025, fire departments serving Middleburg responded to 39 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 72% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
227 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $35K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52 | — | |
| 2022 | 41 | -21.2% | |
| 2023 | 34 | -17.1% | |
| 2024 | 61 | +79.4% | |
| 2025 | 39 | -36.1% |
For the 1 building fires Middleburg departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 63 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 | Undetermined | 14 | 22.2% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 12 | 19.0% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Other | 6 | 9.5% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 6.3% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 4 | 6.3% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Office | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Fuel tank, fuel line | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Corridor, mall | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 12.7% |
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 Middleburg mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 22 | 34.9% | |
| 2 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 8 | 12.7% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 7.9% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 5 | 7.9% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 4 | 6.3% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 6.3% | |
| 7 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Match | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 9.5% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Middleburg sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 37,751 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 16,021 | 39.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 6,131 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 2,138 | 38.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Other causes | 1,989 | 26.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,935 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 1,200 | 32.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,113 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 745 | 41.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 640 | 35.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 610 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | 608 | 39.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Recreation and ceremony | 560 | 46.2 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 Virginia cities with population within ±25% of Middleburg. 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.