In 2025, fire departments serving Peralta responded to 80 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $1 building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 65% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
313 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $144K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 62 | — | |
| 2022 | 56 | -9.7% | |
| 2023 | 67 | +19.6% | |
| 2024 | 48 | -28.4% | |
| 2025 | 80 | +66.7% |
For the 9 building fires Peralta departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 54 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 | 27.8% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 14 | 25.9% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 9.3% | |
| 4 | Function area, other | 3 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | Wall assembly | 3 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Vacant structural area | 2 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Other | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Corridor, mall | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 9.3% |
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 Peralta mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 37 | 68.5% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 6 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 2 | 3.7% | |
| 4 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 3.7% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 7 | Fireworks | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 1.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Peralta departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Peralta sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 92,142 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | 17,912 | 17.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Recreation and ceremony | 13,709 | 17.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | 8,000 | 27.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Natural | 7,836 | 31.3 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,969 | 21.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Natural | 5,478 | 17.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 3,840 | 33.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,700 | 34.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,560 | 41.7 mi | |
| 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,500 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 2,213 | 20.4 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 New Mexico cities with population within ±25% of Peralta. 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.