In 2025, fire departments serving Middletown responded to 36 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Passenger vehicle fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 47% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
198 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $290K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 37 | — | |
| 2022 | 35 | -5.4% | |
| 2023 | 39 | +11.4% | |
| 2024 | 51 | +30.8% | |
| 2025 | 36 | -29.4% |
For the 1 building fires Middletown 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 | 8 | 27.6% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 17.2% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Maintenance shop or area, paint shop or area | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 17.2% |
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 Middletown mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 10 | 34.5% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 13.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Middletown departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Middletown sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 53,792 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 | 28.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 6,131 | 33.7 mi | |
| 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,200 | 38.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,717 | 41.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 2,743 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 2,138 | 23.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Other causes | 1,989 | 15.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,935 | 28.5 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,579 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 1,200 | 10.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,113 | 28.9 mi | |
| 1995 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,070 | 37.6 mi |
Top 7 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 Middletown. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Middletown.
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.