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In 2025, fire departments serving Philomath responded to 77 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $30K 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 44% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
250 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.8M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 43 | — | |
| 2022 | 59 | +37.2% | |
| 2023 | 34 | -42.4% | |
| 2024 | 37 | +8.8% | |
| 2025 | 77 | +108.1% |
For the 5 building fires Philomath departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 46 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 15.2% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 5 | 10.9% | |
| 3 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 4 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 8.7% | |
| 5 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 4 | 8.7% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 7 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Arena, assembly area w/ fixed seats - 100+ persons | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 13 | 28.3% |
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 Philomath mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 13 | 28.3% | |
| 2 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 7 | 15.2% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 10.9% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 8.7% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Molten, hot material | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 8.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Philomath departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $30,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $11,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $1,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $20 | Grass fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Philomath sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 9,034 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,552 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 1,070 | 46.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 790 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 650 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 518 | 41.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 376 | 17.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 307 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 281 | 40.6 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 243 | 39.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | 215 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 202 | 37.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 191 | 21.5 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 Oregon cities with population within ±25% of Philomath. 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.