In 2025, fire departments serving Newport responded to 39 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $30K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Biological hazard, confirmed or suspected lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 56% of all calls.
May peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
195 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $260K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 31 | — | |
| 2022 | 30 | -3.2% | |
| 2023 | 52 | +73.3% | |
| 2024 | 43 | -17.3% | |
| 2025 | 39 | -9.3% |
For the 5 building fires Newport departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 30 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 | 40.0% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Wall assembly | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 16.7% |
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 Newport mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 24 | 80.0% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 3 | 10.0% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 3.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Newport departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $30,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Newport sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 888 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 77 | 36.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 61 | 27.7 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 57 | 44.3 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 30.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Other causes | 50 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 48 | 33.4 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 42 | 43.3 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 12.1 mi | |
| 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 17.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 35 | 28.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 34 | 19.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 33 | 47.0 mi |
Top 3 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Maine cities with population within ±25% of Newport. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Newport.
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.