In 2025, fire departments serving Middleport responded to 21 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $233K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 62% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
146 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $771K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28 | — | |
| 2022 | 48 | +71.4% | |
| 2023 | 21 | -56.2% | |
| 2024 | 28 | +33.3% | |
| 2025 | 21 | -25.0% |
For the 4 building fires Middleport departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 29 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 | 6 | 20.7% | |
| 2 | Other | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 7 | Outside area, other | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 8 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 10 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 10.3% |
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 Middleport mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 14 | 48.3% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 1 | 3.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Middleport departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $232,800 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $132,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Middleport sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 9 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 382 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Smoking | 145 | 41.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 88 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 42 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 | 43.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 16 | 25.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 11 | 7.3 mi | |
| 2013 | Natural | 10 | 24.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 10 | 22.5 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 Middleport. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Middleport.
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.