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2025 Annual Fire Report

Fires in Palos Verdes Estates, California

In 2025, fire departments serving Palos Verdes Estates responded to 21 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $150K building blaze. Here's the full picture.

Updated Sep 27, 2026 Grade A+ Peak yr 2023 Los Angeles County 13,219 residents 0 reporting departments 107 5-yr
Total incidents
21
+0.0% vs 2024
Building fires
3
Residential 67% Other 33%
Property loss
$214K
$169K structure · $45K contents
Deaths & injuries
0 / 0
0 civilian deaths · 0 civ injuries · 0 firefighter injuries
01 The mix

What kinds of fires happen here?

Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 67% of all calls.

21
Total Incidents
Power line down 4 19.0%
Building fires 3 14.3%
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) 3 14.3%
Cooking fire, confined to container 2 9.5%
Trash or rubbish fire, contained 2 9.5%
All other categories 7 33.3%
02 Seasonality

When do fires happen?

Jan peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.

Jan 5
Feb 1
Mar 3
Apr 1
May 2
Jun 2
Jul 2
Aug 0
Sep 1
Oct 1
Nov 1
Dec 2
Fewer
More
2b Five-year trend

Year over year in Palos Verdes Estates

107 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $665K cumulative property loss.

YearIncidentsYoY 
2021 21 —
2022 13 -38.1%
2023 31 +138.5%
2024 21 -32.3%
2025 21 +0.0%
03 Cause of ignition

What sparks building fires?

For the 3 building fires Palos Verdes Estates departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.

Unintentional
67%
4
Cause undetermined
0%
0
Intentional / arson
17%
1
Equipment / heat source failure
17%
1
Under investigation
0%
0
Act of nature (lightning)
-1%
0
3b Where fires start

Where do fires start in Palos Verdes Estates?

NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 28 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 originCountShare 
1 Other 4 14.3%
2 Outside area, other 4 14.3%
3 Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison 3 10.7%
4 Vehicle area, other 3 10.7%
5 Engine area, running gear, wheel area 3 10.7%
6 Cooking area, kitchen 2 7.1%
7 Vehicle storage area; garage, carport 2 7.1%
8 Egress/exit, other 1 3.6%
9 Switchgear area, transformer vault 1 3.6%
10 Structural area, other 1 3.6%
11 All other areas 4 14.3%
3c What ignited it

What actually ignited the fire?

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 Palos Verdes Estates mix.

#Heat sourceCountShare 
1 Heat from powered equipment, other 8 28.6%
2 Arcing 7 25.0%
3 Heat source: other 3 10.7%
4 Undetermined 3 10.7%
5 Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment 2 7.1%
6 Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment 1 3.6%
7 Hot or smoldering object, other 1 3.6%
8 Heat from other open flame or smoking materials 1 3.6%
9 Heat from undetermined smoking material 1 3.6%
10 Backfire from internal combustion engine 1 3.6%
04 The biggest fires

3 fires · $169K in losses

Largest single-incident property losses reported by Palos Verdes Estates departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.

# Property loss Type Severity Status
1 $150,000 Building fires Significant Investigated
2 $15,000 Building fires Significant Investigated
3 $4,000 Passenger vehicle fire Significant Investigated
05 How Palos Verdes Estates compares

Palos Verdes Estates vs California vs the nation

Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Palos Verdes Estates sits below the national average for incidents per resident.

1.59
Incidents per 1,000 residents
Palos Verdes Estates
1.59
CA avg
5.32
US avg
7.48
0.23
Building fires per 1,000 residents
Palos Verdes Estates
0.23
CA avg
0.32
US avg
0.85
0
Civilian fire deaths per million
Palos Verdes Estates
0
CA avg
2.9
US avg
5.9
5c Wildfires nearby

Wildfires within 50 mi of Palos Verdes Estates

Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 927,923 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.

50 mi radius
YearCauseAcresDistance 
2009 Arson/incendiarism 160,371 33.6 mi
2020 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 115,997 40.5 mi
2003 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 108,204 44.1 mi
2018 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 96,949 35.8 mi
2016 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 41,432 44.2 mi
1993 Arson/incendiarism 38,152 37.6 mi
2002 Arson/incendiarism 37,240 46.4 mi
2008 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 30,305 38.3 mi
2006 Misuse of fire by a minor 30,000 47.2 mi
2007 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 28,476 42.1 mi
2005 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 24,970 36.4 mi
2013 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 24,238 43.5 mi
5d Top ZIPs

Where in Palos Verdes Estates do fires concentrate?

Top 2 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.

#ZIP5-yr incidents 
1 90274 106
2 90275 1
5e Peer cities

Cities similar to Palos Verdes Estates

Six California cities with population within ±25% of Palos Verdes Estates. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.

07 Stay prepared

Before the next Red Flag day.

A 30-minute weekend can cut your home's exposure substantially. These four checklists are a good starting point.

About this data

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.