In 2025, fire departments serving Oakland responded to 25 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K 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 84% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
174 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $704K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 22 | — | |
| 2022 | 24 | +9.1% | |
| 2023 | 59 | +145.8% | |
| 2024 | 44 | -25.4% | |
| 2025 | 25 | -43.2% |
For the 9 building fires Oakland departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 51 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 9 | 17.6% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 13.7% | |
| 3 | Other | 6 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Wall assembly | 5 | 9.8% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 5 | 9.8% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 5 | 9.8% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 10 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 11.8% |
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 Oakland mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 31.4% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 11 | 21.6% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 7 | 13.7% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 5 | 9.8% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 7.8% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Oakland departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $20,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Oakland sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 9,231 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 | 4,000 | 6.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 715 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 28.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 340 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 300 | 27.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 48.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 250 | 39.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 202 | 45.7 mi | |
| 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 200 | 26.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 43.9 mi | |
| 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 200 | 34.2 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 51560 | 174 |
Six Iowa cities with population within ±25% of Oakland. 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.