In 2025, fire departments serving Philadelphia responded to 26 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 69% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
99 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $750K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21 | — | |
| 2022 | 19 | -9.5% | |
| 2023 | 14 | -26.3% | |
| 2024 | 19 | +35.7% | |
| 2025 | 26 | +36.8% |
For the 7 building fires Philadelphia departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 16 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 | 4 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Wall assembly | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Maintenance shop or area, paint shop or area | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Structural area, other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 8 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 10 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 1 | 6.2% |
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 Philadelphia mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 9 | 56.2% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 3 | 18.8% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 4 | Cigarette | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Lightning | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 6.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Philadelphia departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Philadelphia sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 21 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 846 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 190 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 76 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2012 | Smoking | 75 | 27.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 68 | 22.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 66 | 18.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 24.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 39 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 35 | 43.8 mi | |
| 1997 | Arson/incendiarism | 35 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 27.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 29 | 34.0 mi | |
| 2002 | Equipment and vehicle use | 23 | 17.0 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 York cities with population within ±25% of Philadelphia. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Philadelphia.
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.