In 2025, fire departments serving Rotterdam responded to 57 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Fire, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 53% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
310 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $62K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 49 | — | |
| 2022 | 65 | +32.7% | |
| 2023 | 94 | +44.6% | |
| 2024 | 45 | -52.1% | |
| 2025 | 57 | +26.7% |
For the 7 building fires Rotterdam departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 45 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 | 9 | 20.0% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 8 | 17.8% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 6 | 13.3% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 8.9% | |
| 5 | Storage area, other | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 6 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 9 | Outside area, other | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 15.6% |
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 Rotterdam mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 11 | 24.4% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 9 | 20.0% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 4 | 8.9% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 8 | Backfire from internal combustion engine | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 9 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 11.1% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Rotterdam sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,548 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Smoking | 310 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 272 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 266 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 173 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 146 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 130 | 42.7 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 27.4 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 96 | 21.0 mi | |
| 1993 | Equipment and vehicle use | 90 | 35.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 83 | 47.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 37.8 mi | |
| 1995 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 33.7 mi |
Top 6 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six New York cities with population within ±25% of Rotterdam. 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.