In 2025, fire departments serving Oregon responded to 121 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $400K 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 67% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
369 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $2.2M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 91 | — | |
| 2022 | 48 | -47.3% | |
| 2023 | 60 | +25.0% | |
| 2024 | 49 | -18.3% | |
| 2025 | 121 | +146.9% |
For the 40 building fires Oregon departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 71 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 | 17 | 23.9% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 9 | 12.7% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 7 | 9.9% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Other | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 17 | 23.9% |
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 Oregon mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 24 | 33.8% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 9 | 12.7% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 8 | 11.3% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 9.9% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Radiated heat from another fire | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 9 | 12.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Oregon departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $125,000 | Aircraft fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $105,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $10,000 | Grass fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Oregon sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,738 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 617 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 33.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 265 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 210 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 7.7 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 100 | 36.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 8.6 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 60 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 60 | 36.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 52 | 24.6 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 | 61061 | 369 |
Six Illinois cities with population within ±25% of Oregon. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Oregon.
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.