In 2025, fire departments serving Port Washington responded to 29 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $45K 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 83% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
122 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $402K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28 | — | |
| 2022 | 27 | -3.6% | |
| 2023 | 18 | -33.3% | |
| 2024 | 20 | +11.1% | |
| 2025 | 29 | +45.0% |
For the 11 building fires Port Washington departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 31 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 | 11 | 35.5% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 16.1% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Conduit, pipe, utility, or ventilation shaft | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Wall assembly | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 6.5% |
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 Washington mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 17 | 54.8% | |
| 2 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 4 | 12.9% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 7 | Match | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 1 | 3.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Port Washington departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $45,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10 | Grass fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Port Washington sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,569 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 175 | 24.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 171 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 25.5 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 36.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 9.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 78 | 46.1 mi | |
| 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 20.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 24.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 33.4 mi |
Top 4 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Port Washington. 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.