In 2025, fire departments serving Pittsville responded to 36 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $25K 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.
Jan peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
184 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.3M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 29 | — | |
| 2022 | 34 | +17.2% | |
| 2023 | 45 | +32.4% | |
| 2024 | 40 | -11.1% | |
| 2025 | 36 | -10.0% |
For the 9 building fires Pittsville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 59 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 | 14 | 23.7% | |
| 2 | Other | 12 | 20.3% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 9 | 15.3% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 5.1% | |
| 5 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 5.1% | |
| 6 | Function area, other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 15.3% |
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 Pittsville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 28 | 47.5% | |
| 2 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 10.2% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 5 | 8.5% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 8.5% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 4 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 5.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Pittsville departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $25,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $25,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Pittsville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 34,504 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 3,208 | 30.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,910 | 29.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,124 | 31.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,066 | 31.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,800 | 30.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,756 | 29.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,700 | 28.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,596 | 34.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,580 | 27.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,367 | 34.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,348 | 36.2 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,250 | 36.0 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 Maryland cities with population within ±25% of Pittsville. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Pittsville.
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.