In 2025, fire departments serving Randolph responded to 55 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $130K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Aircraft standby lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 76% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
227 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $217K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35 | — | |
| 2022 | 53 | +51.4% | |
| 2023 | 48 | -9.4% | |
| 2024 | 36 | -25.0% | |
| 2025 | 55 | +52.8% |
For the 6 building fires Randolph departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 10 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 | 2 | 20.0% | |
| 2 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 10.0% | |
| 3 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 10.0% | |
| 5 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 10.0% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 10.0% | |
| 7 | Fuel tank, fuel line | 1 | 10.0% | |
| 8 | Exterior, exposed surface | 1 | 10.0% | |
| 9 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 1 | 10.0% |
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 Randolph mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 3 | 30.0% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 2 | 20.0% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 20.0% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 10.0% | |
| 5 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 1 | 10.0% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 1 | 10.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Randolph departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $130,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $6,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $2,500 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,000 | Fuel burner/boiler malfunction, fire confined | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Randolph sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,347 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 270 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 137 | 17.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 120 | 14.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 82 | 45.7 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 72 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 62 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 30.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 54 | 39.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 47 | 10.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 45 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 45 | 40.1 mi | |
| 1994 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 49.7 mi |
Top 3 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Vermont cities with population within ±25% of Randolph. 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.