In 2025, fire departments serving Port Deposit responded to 97 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $400K 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 71% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
362 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $3.3M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 49 | — | |
| 2022 | 57 | +16.3% | |
| 2023 | 76 | +33.3% | |
| 2024 | 83 | +9.2% | |
| 2025 | 97 | +16.9% |
For the 35 building fires Port Deposit departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 51 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 | 18 | 35.3% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 13.7% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 7 | 13.7% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 9.8% | |
| 5 | Other | 4 | 7.8% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Structural area, other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Ceiling & floor assembly, crawl space b/t stories | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 3.9% |
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 Port Deposit mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 34 | 66.7% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 9.8% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 7 | Molten, hot material | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 3.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Port Deposit departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $400,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $350,000 | Outside equipment fire | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $3,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Port Deposit sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 6,649 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,000 | 46.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 741 | 45.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 522 | 19.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 470 | 36.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 408 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 273 | 47.3 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 250 | 32.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 48.7 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 120 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 120 | 43.3 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 101 | 33.4 mi |
Top 9 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 Port Deposit. 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.