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In 2025, fire departments serving Palmer Lake responded to 42 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $5K 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 60% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
210 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $72K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 46 | — | |
| 2022 | 60 | +30.4% | |
| 2023 | 31 | -48.3% | |
| 2024 | 31 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 42 | +35.5% |
For the 5 building fires Palmer Lake departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 49 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 | Undetermined | 15 | 30.6% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 7 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Other | 5 | 10.2% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 10.2% | |
| 5 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 9 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 10.2% |
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 Palmer Lake mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 27 | 55.1% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 5 | 10.2% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 4.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Palmer Lake departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $1,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,000 | Outside rubbish fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $40 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Palmer Lake sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 320,595 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 137,760 | 27.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 42,795 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 18,947 | 16.1 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 16,580 | 11.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Recreation and ceremony | 11,875 | 27.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Smoking | 10,800 | 33.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 9,636 | 40.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 9,064 | 36.0 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,355 | 35.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,328 | 32.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 6,000 | 46.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,200 | 39.5 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 Colorado cities with population within ±25% of Palmer Lake. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Palmer Lake.
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.