In 2025, fire departments serving New London responded to 19 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $120K 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 90% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
91 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $579K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 14 | — | |
| 2022 | 18 | +28.6% | |
| 2023 | 24 | +33.3% | |
| 2024 | 16 | -33.3% | |
| 2025 | 19 | +18.8% |
For the 8 building fires New London departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 23 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 | 12 | 52.2% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 13.0% | |
| 3 | Wall assembly | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Multiple areas | 1 | 4.3% |
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 London mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 6 | 26.1% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 3 | 13.0% | |
| 3 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 13.0% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 5 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 6 | Radiated heat from another fire | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Match | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 4.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by New London departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $120,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $60,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $35,000 | Outside storage fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. New London sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,966 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 1,050 | 27.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 835 | 9.6 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 280 | 43.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | 238 | 18.6 mi | |
| 2019 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 235 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 210 | 13.5 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 9.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 42.9 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 9.6 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 140 | 11.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 140 | 32.5 mi | |
| 1994 | Debris and open burning | 120 | 27.8 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 Missouri cities with population within ±25% of New London. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in New London.
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.