In 2025, fire departments serving Oakland responded to 95 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $96K 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 51% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
641 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $557K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 107 | — | |
| 2022 | 102 | -4.7% | |
| 2023 | 178 | +74.5% | |
| 2024 | 159 | -10.7% | |
| 2025 | 95 | -40.3% |
For the 14 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 48 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 | 10 | 20.8% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 8 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Egress/exit, other | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 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 Oakland mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 19 | 39.6% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 8 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 10.4% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Cigarette | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Incendiary device | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 6.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Oakland departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $96,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $96,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $96,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $100 | Cooking fire, confined to container | 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. 796 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 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 57 | 19.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 48 | 27.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 43 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 24.7 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 21.9 mi | |
| 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 29.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39 | 35.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 35 | 34.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 33 | 31.8 mi | |
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 32 | 36.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | 32 | 39.7 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 | 04963 | 641 |
Six Maine cities with population within ±25% of Oakland. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Oakland.
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.