In 2025, fire departments serving Red Springs responded to 115 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $78K 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 77% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
547 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $647K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 118 | — | |
| 2022 | 110 | -6.8% | |
| 2023 | 68 | -38.2% | |
| 2024 | 136 | +100.0% | |
| 2025 | 115 | -15.4% |
For the 38 building fires Red Springs departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 300 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 | 112 | 37.3% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 76 | 25.3% | |
| 3 | Wildland, woods | 32 | 10.7% | |
| 4 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 14 | 4.7% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 11 | 3.7% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 10 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 8 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Wall assembly | 3 | 1.0% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 1.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 24 | 8.0% |
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 Red Springs mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 221 | 73.7% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 20 | 6.7% | |
| 3 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 20 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 12 | 4.0% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 6 | 2.0% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 1.7% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 1.0% | |
| 8 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 1.0% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 0.7% | |
| 10 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 0.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 2.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Red Springs departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $78,100 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $78,100 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $40,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,600 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $8,400 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $4,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $3,000 | Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Red Springs sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 21,379 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Natural | 5,438 | 26.4 mi | |
| 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,358 | 21.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,181 | 20.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,164 | 23.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | 969 | 23.6 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 795 | 23.1 mi | |
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 765 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 750 | 30.6 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 716 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 697 | 21.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 669 | 22.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 586 | 23.7 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 North Carolina cities with population within ±25% of Red Springs. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Red Springs.
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.