In 2025, fire departments serving Reisterstown responded to 213 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 61% of all calls.
May peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
921 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $881K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 175 | — | |
| 2022 | 190 | +8.6% | |
| 2023 | 171 | -10.0% | |
| 2024 | 172 | +0.6% | |
| 2025 | 213 | +23.8% |
For the 15 building fires Reisterstown departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 55 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 | 14 | 25.5% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 8 | 14.5% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 12.7% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 10.9% | |
| 5 | Other | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Undetermined | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 16.4% |
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 Reisterstown mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 26 | 47.3% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 10 | 18.2% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 10.9% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 7.3% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Fireworks | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Lightning | 1 | 1.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Reisterstown departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $9,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $3,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Reisterstown sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,816 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 522 | 40.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 500 | 30.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 33.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 408 | 39.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 39.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 76 | 38.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 26.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 55 | 22.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 55 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 48 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 48 | 22.5 mi |
Top 2 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Maryland cities with population within ±25% of Reisterstown. 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.