In 2025, fire departments serving Milton responded to 81 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $187K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 65% of all calls.
Sep peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
356 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.7M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 56 | — | |
| 2022 | 74 | +32.1% | |
| 2023 | 78 | +5.4% | |
| 2024 | 67 | -14.1% | |
| 2025 | 81 | +20.9% |
For the 17 building fires Milton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 77 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 | 18.2% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 10 | 13.0% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 8 | 10.4% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 5 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Other | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Structural area, other | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 18 | 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 Milton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 31 | 40.3% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 7.8% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 6.5% | |
| 4 | Cigarette | 5 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 5.2% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 4 | 5.2% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 5.2% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 9 | 11.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Milton departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $187,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $20,000 | Water vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $6,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Milton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,981 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 329 | 40.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 314 | 17.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 275 | 26.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 236 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 139 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 92 | 27.2 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 34.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 54 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 8.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 42 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 41 | 23.7 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 New Hampshire cities with population within ±25% of Milton. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Milton.
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.