In 2025, fire departments serving Midland responded to 45 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $800K 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. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
230 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 38 | — | |
| 2022 | 52 | +36.8% | |
| 2023 | 55 | +5.8% | |
| 2024 | 40 | -27.3% | |
| 2025 | 45 | +12.5% |
For the 14 building fires Midland departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 47 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 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 12.8% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 12.8% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 6 | 12.8% | |
| 4 | Structural area, other | 4 | 8.5% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 4 | 8.5% | |
| 6 | Function area, other | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 8 | Machinery room or area; elevator machinery room | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Other | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 23.4% |
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 Midland mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 12 | 25.5% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 7 | 14.9% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 6 | 12.8% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 10.6% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 8.5% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 4.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Midland departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $800,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $35,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100 | Cultivated grain or crop fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Midland sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,020 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 175 | 38.9 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 106 | 20.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 78 | 22.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 40.2 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 48 | 21.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 45 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 41 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 38 | 47.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 35 | 26.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 31 | 36.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 17.8 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 | 15059 | 230 |
Six Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Midland. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Midland.
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.