In 2025, fire departments serving Port Townsend responded to 129 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $65K 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 45% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
634 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 126 | — | |
| 2022 | 145 | +15.1% | |
| 2023 | 116 | -20.0% | |
| 2024 | 118 | +1.7% | |
| 2025 | 129 | +9.3% |
For the 8 building fires Port Townsend departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 128 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 | Other | 15 | 11.7% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 14 | 10.9% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 13 | 10.2% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 11 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 10 | 7.8% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 8 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 6 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 5 | 3.9% | |
| 10 | Wildland, woods | 5 | 3.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 36 | 28.1% |
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 Townsend mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 59 | 46.1% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 11 | 8.6% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 10 | 7.8% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 8 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 7 | 5.5% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 7 | 5.5% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 7 | 5.5% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Fireworks | 3 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 2 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 9 | 7.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Port Townsend departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 93% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $65,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $4,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Port Townsend sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 13,422 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 3,312 | 40.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 2,475 | 35.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,243 | 33.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Fireworks | 1,100 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 825 | 40.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Natural | 820 | 33.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Natural | 817 | 35.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Natural | 443 | 31.3 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 400 | 31.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 385 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Natural | 299 | 42.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Natural | 294 | 37.0 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 Washington cities with population within ±25% of Port Townsend. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Port Townsend.
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.