In 2025, fire departments serving Otisfield responded to 37 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 65% of all calls.
Jan peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
172 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. 5 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 33 | — | |
| 2022 | 43 | +30.3% | |
| 2023 | 21 | -51.2% | |
| 2024 | 38 | +81.0% | |
| 2025 | 37 | -2.6% |
For the 10 building fires Otisfield departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 39 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 | Outside area, other | 8 | 20.5% | |
| 2 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 4 | 10.3% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 4 | 10.3% | |
| 5 | Wall assembly | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Other | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Egress/exit, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 23.1% |
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 Otisfield mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 9 | 23.1% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 8 | 20.5% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 12.8% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 10.3% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 7 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 5.1% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Otisfield sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
5 fire-related casualties recorded in NFIRS Module 11 across the 2021–2025 window. Age, gender, and severity are coarse-binned — no individual identification possible.
| Age | Count | |
|---|---|---|
| 0-9 | 0 | |
| 10-19 | 0 | |
| 20-29 | 0 | |
| 30-39 | 0 | |
| 40-49 | 1 | |
| 50-59 | 0 | |
| 60-69 | 1 | |
| 70-79 | 1 | |
| 80+ | 2 |
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,060 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 329 | 34.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 314 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 275 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 236 | 36.1 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 139 | 32.0 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 64 | 30.7 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 22.9 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 57 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 51 | 20.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 42 | 39.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 48.6 mi |
Top 3 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 Otisfield. 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.