In 2025, fire departments serving Old Orchard Beach responded to 140 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $59K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 62% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
769 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 107 | — | |
| 2022 | 109 | +1.9% | |
| 2023 | 168 | +54.1% | |
| 2024 | 245 | +45.8% | |
| 2025 | 140 | -42.9% |
For the 12 building fires Old Orchard Beach departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 64 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 | Cooking area, kitchen | 13 | 20.3% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 7 | 10.9% | |
| 4 | Wall surface: exterior | 5 | 7.8% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Exterior, exposed surface | 3 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 3 | 4.7% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 13 | 20.3% |
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 Old Orchard Beach mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 16 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 15 | 23.4% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 11 | 17.2% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Cigarette | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Radiated heat from another fire | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Conducted heat from another fire | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 3.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Old Orchard Beach departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $59,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Old Orchard Beach sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,366 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 314 | 16.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 275 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 236 | 9.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 42 | 1.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 16.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 33 | 5.9 mi | |
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 32 | 43.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 31 | 28.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 43.4 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 29 | 46.7 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 Maine cities with population within ±25% of Old Orchard Beach. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Old Orchard Beach.
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.