In 2025, fire departments serving Nassau responded to 54 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $75K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 59% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
347 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $548K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 68 | — | |
| 2022 | 53 | -22.1% | |
| 2023 | 120 | +126.4% | |
| 2024 | 52 | -56.7% | |
| 2025 | 54 | +3.8% |
For the 8 building fires Nassau departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 31 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 | 7 | 22.6% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 5 | 16.1% | |
| 3 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 5 | Service facilities, other | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 7 | Assembly or sales area, other | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 16.1% |
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 Nassau mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 35.5% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 7 | 22.6% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 3.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Nassau departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $2,500 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Nassau sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,211 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 321 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 272 | 23.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 146 | 45.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 130 | 14.5 mi | |
| 1993 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 49.6 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 42.9 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 96 | 47.0 mi | |
| 1993 | Equipment and vehicle use | 90 | 29.6 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 43.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 79 | 37.6 mi | |
| 1995 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 25.9 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 65 | 18.3 mi |
Top 9 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 Nassau. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Nassau.
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.