In 2025, fire departments serving Rio Rancho Estates responded to 38 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $30K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 66% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
171 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $328K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 31 | — | |
| 2022 | 28 | -9.7% | |
| 2023 | 33 | +17.9% | |
| 2024 | 41 | +24.2% | |
| 2025 | 38 | -7.3% |
For the 0 building fires Rio Rancho Estates departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 69 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 | 36 | 52.2% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 10 | 14.5% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 7.2% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Outside area, other | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 9 | Storage area, other | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 2.9% |
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 Rio Rancho Estates mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 50 | 72.5% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 6 | 8.7% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 9 | Radiated heat from another fire | 1 | 1.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Rio Rancho Estates departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $30,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $6,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Outside rubbish fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,000 | Self-propelled motor home or recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $1,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $1,000 | Fire in portable building, fixed location | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Rio Rancho Estates sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 323,293 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 156,593 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 47,650 | 43.6 mi | |
| 2013 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 23,938 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | 17,912 | 41.4 mi | |
| 1996 | Recreation and ceremony | 16,575 | 39.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Recreation and ceremony | 13,709 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Natural | 5,478 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 5,162 | 41.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 4,303 | 33.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 4,150 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 4,026 | 37.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,382 | 49.0 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 New Mexico cities with population within ±25% of Rio Rancho Estates. 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.