In 2025, fire departments serving New London responded to 99 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 85% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
480 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $500K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 99 | — | |
| 2022 | 72 | -27.3% | |
| 2023 | 100 | +38.9% | |
| 2024 | 110 | +10.0% | |
| 2025 | 99 | -10.0% |
For the 11 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 13 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 | Outside area, other | 4 | 30.8% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 1 | 7.7% |
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 | 4 | 30.8% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 7 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 1 | 7.7% |
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. 1,759 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 275 | 44.8 mi | |
| 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 270 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 190 | 25.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 137 | 29.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 120 | 40.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 92 | 22.2 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 72 | 44.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 37.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 23.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 54 | 27.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 46.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 47 | 41.4 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 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.