In 2025, fire departments serving Princeton responded to 50 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $10K 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 66% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
295 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $524K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 39 | — | |
| 2022 | 72 | +84.6% | |
| 2023 | 55 | -23.6% | |
| 2024 | 79 | +43.6% | |
| 2025 | 50 | -36.7% |
For the 14 building fires Princeton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 138 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 | Outside area, other | 29 | 21.0% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 23 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 13 | 9.4% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 13 | 9.4% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 10 | 7.2% | |
| 6 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 8 | 5.8% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 4 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 4 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 23 | 16.7% |
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 Princeton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 78 | 56.5% | |
| 2 | Match | 10 | 7.2% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 5.1% | |
| 4 | Cigarette lighter | 7 | 5.1% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 5 | 3.6% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 3 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 3 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 13 | 9.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Princeton departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Chimney or flue fire, confined to chimney or flue | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $3,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $200 | Natural vegetation fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Princeton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 7,083 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 750 | 49.5 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 550 | 40.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Smoking | 400 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2018 | Recreation and ceremony | 339 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 300 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2000 | Equipment and vehicle use | 300 | 18.5 mi | |
| 1993 | Arson/incendiarism | 275 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 274 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 260 | 36.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 257 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 254 | 47.7 mi |
Top 6 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six North Carolina cities with population within ±25% of Princeton. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Princeton.
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.