In 2025, fire departments serving Northfield responded to 43 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K 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 82% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
282 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.4M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 61 | — | |
| 2022 | 44 | -27.9% | |
| 2023 | 60 | +36.4% | |
| 2024 | 74 | +23.3% | |
| 2025 | 43 | -41.9% |
For the 8 building fires Northfield departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 34 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 | 5 | 14.7% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 14.7% | |
| 3 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 8 | Other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Interior stairway or ramp | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 26.5% |
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 Northfield mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arcing | 6 | 17.6% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 11.8% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 9 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 14.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Northfield departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $2,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Northfield sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,379 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 800 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 700 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 321 | 38.9 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 272 | 35.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 256 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 26.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 190 | 32.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 172 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 130 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 120 | 13.0 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 Massachusetts cities with population within ±25% of Northfield. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
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.