In 2025, fire departments serving Port Matilda responded to 18 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $35K 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 72% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
137 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $656K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 33 | — | |
| 2022 | 29 | -12.1% | |
| 2023 | 36 | +24.1% | |
| 2024 | 21 | -41.7% | |
| 2025 | 18 | -14.3% |
For the 3 building fires Port Matilda departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 24 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 20.8% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 5 | 20.8% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Other | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 5 | Escalator - exterior, interior | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Function area, other | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 10 | Ceiling & floor assembly, crawl space b/t stories | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 20.8% |
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 Matilda mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 13 | 54.2% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 5 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Lightning | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 10 | Conducted heat from another fire | 1 | 4.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Port Matilda departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $35,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Port Matilda sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 8,736 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,329 | 39.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 9.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 917 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 688 | 25.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 24.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 424 | 17.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 352 | 6.1 mi | |
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 352 | 31.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 348 | 39.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 345 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 300 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 297 | 28.8 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16870 | 137 |
Six Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Port Matilda. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Port Matilda.
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.