In 2025, fire departments serving New Cumberland responded to 164 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $470K 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 59% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
642 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.3M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 106 | — | |
| 2022 | 114 | +7.5% | |
| 2023 | 126 | +10.5% | |
| 2024 | 132 | +4.8% | |
| 2025 | 164 | +24.2% |
For the 30 building fires New Cumberland departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 69 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 10 | 14.5% | |
| 2 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 6 | 8.7% | |
| 3 | Exterior, exposed surface | 5 | 7.2% | |
| 4 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 5 | 7.2% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 7.2% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 4 | 5.8% | |
| 7 | Other | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Outside area, other | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 22 | 31.9% |
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 New Cumberland mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 24 | 34.8% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 6 | 8.7% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 6 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 6 | 8.7% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 5.8% | |
| 6 | Chemical reaction | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Match | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Chemical, natural heat source, other | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 12 | 17.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by New Cumberland departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $470,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $30,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $3,500 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $2,500 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $2,500 | Self-propelled motor home or recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. New Cumberland sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,336 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 935 | 19.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Recreation and ceremony | 193 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 109 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 15.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 90 | 21.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 74 | 25.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 72 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 70 | 39.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 70 | 45.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 59 | 24.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 55 | 24.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 54 | 39.6 mi |
Top 4 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of New Cumberland. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in New Cumberland.
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.