In 2025, fire departments serving Pylesville responded to 55 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Forest, woods or wildland fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 62% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
181 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 37 | — | |
| 2022 | 35 | -5.4% | |
| 2023 | 23 | -34.3% | |
| 2024 | 31 | +34.8% | |
| 2025 | 55 | +77.4% |
For the 6 building fires Pylesville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 29 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 | 8 | 27.6% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 7 | 24.1% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 20.7% | |
| 4 | Other | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 3.4% |
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 Pylesville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 13 | 44.8% | |
| 2 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Arcing | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 6.9% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Pylesville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,433 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 741 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 522 | 30.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 500 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 408 | 48.9 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 250 | 48.8 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 101 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 48.9 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 90 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 17.3 mi | |
| 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 65 | 49.5 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 42.5 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 | 21132 | 181 |
Six Maryland cities with population within ±25% of Pylesville. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Pylesville.
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.