In 2025, fire departments serving Orrington responded to 53 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $500K 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 68% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
366 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.3M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50 | — | |
| 2022 | 59 | +18.0% | |
| 2023 | 132 | +123.7% | |
| 2024 | 72 | -45.5% | |
| 2025 | 53 | -26.4% |
For the 24 building fires Orrington departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 41 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 | 7 | 17.1% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 14.6% | |
| 3 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 5 | 12.2% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 5 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 22.0% |
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 Orrington mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 12 | 29.3% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 7 | 17.1% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 7 | 17.1% | |
| 4 | Chemical reaction | 6 | 14.6% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Orrington departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $180,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $130,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Orrington sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,010 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 215 | 46.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 205 | 44.3 mi | |
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 200 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 161 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 124 | 34.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 120 | 44.0 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 105 | 41.8 mi | |
| 1994 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 100 | 31.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 85 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 77 | 26.6 mi | |
| 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 46.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 61 | 42.4 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 Orrington. 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.