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2025 Annual Fire Report

Fires in Rowland Heights, California

In 2025, fire departments serving Rowland Heights responded to 62 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $25K building blaze. Here's the full picture.

Updated Sep 27, 2026 Grade A+ Peak yr 2023 Los Angeles County 47,209 residents 0 reporting departments 337 5-yr
Total incidents
62
-11.4% vs 2024
Building fires
4
Residential 50% Other 50%
Property loss
$73K
$67K structure · $5K contents
Deaths & injuries
0 / 0
0 civilian deaths · 0 civ injuries · 0 firefighter injuries
01 The mix

What kinds of fires happen here?

Outside rubbish fire, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 63% of all calls.

62
Total Incidents
Outside rubbish fire, other 16 25.8%
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) 10 16.1%
Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire 5 8.1%
Building fires 4 6.5%
Trash or rubbish fire, contained 4 6.5%
All other categories 23 37.1%
02 Seasonality

When do fires happen?

Dec peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.

Jan 5
Feb 5
Mar 4
Apr 4
May 2
Jun 5
Jul 6
Aug 4
Sep 4
Oct 7
Nov 2
Dec 14
Fewer
More
2b Five-year trend

Year over year in Rowland Heights

337 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $2.2M cumulative property loss.

YearIncidentsYoY 
2021 63 —
2022 57 -9.5%
2023 85 +49.1%
2024 70 -17.6%
2025 62 -11.4%
03 Cause of ignition

What sparks building fires?

For the 4 building fires Rowland Heights departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.

Unintentional
60%
6
Cause undetermined
20%
2
Intentional / arson
0%
0
Equipment / heat source failure
10%
1
Under investigation
10%
1
Act of nature (lightning)
0%
0
3b Where fires start

Where do fires start in Rowland Heights?

NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 72 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 originCountShare 
1 Other 9 12.5%
2 Vehicle area, other 9 12.5%
3 Engine area, running gear, wheel area 8 11.1%
4 Outside area, other 5 6.9%
5 Cooking area, kitchen 3 4.2%
6 Storage area, other 3 4.2%
7 Vehicle storage area; garage, carport 3 4.2%
8 Equipment or service area, other 3 4.2%
9 Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch 3 4.2%
10 Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. 3 4.2%
11 All other areas 23 31.9%
3c What ignited it

What actually ignited the fire?

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 Rowland Heights mix.

#Heat sourceCountShare 
1 Heat source: other 25 34.7%
2 Heat from powered equipment, other 10 13.9%
3 Arcing 9 12.5%
4 Hot or smoldering object, other 5 6.9%
5 Undetermined 5 6.9%
6 Hot ember or ash 4 5.6%
7 Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment 2 2.8%
8 Heat from other open flame or smoking materials 2 2.8%
9 Chemical reaction 2 2.8%
10 Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment 1 1.4%
11 All other sources 7 9.7%
04 The biggest fires

8 fires · $67K in losses

Largest single-incident property losses reported by Rowland Heights departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.

# Property loss Type Severity Status
1 $25,000 Building fires Significant Investigated
2 $20,000 Building fires Significant Investigated
3 $15,000 Building fires Significant Investigated
4 $5,000 Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other Significant Investigated
5 $1,000 Building fires Significant Investigated
6 $500 Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire Significant Investigated
7 $500 Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire Significant Investigated
8 $100 Outside rubbish fire, other Significant Investigated
05 How Rowland Heights compares

Rowland Heights vs California vs the nation

Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Rowland Heights sits below the national average for incidents per resident.

1.31
Incidents per 1,000 residents
Rowland Heights
1.31
CA avg
5.32
US avg
7.48
0.08
Building fires per 1,000 residents
Rowland Heights
0.08
CA avg
0.32
US avg
0.85
0
Civilian fire deaths per million
Rowland Heights
0
CA avg
2.9
US avg
5.9
5c Wildfires nearby

Wildfires within 50 mi of Rowland Heights

Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,043,261 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.

50 mi radius
YearCauseAcresDistance 
2009 Arson/incendiarism 160,371 25.3 mi
2020 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 115,997 19.5 mi
2018 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 96,949 49.8 mi
2003 Arson/incendiarism 91,281 38.5 mi
1999 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 65,000 47.9 mi
2003 Arson/incendiarism 59,788 27.1 mi
2016 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 41,432 43.2 mi
2007 Misuse of fire by a minor 38,356 45.8 mi
2002 Arson/incendiarism 37,240 18.8 mi
2016 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 36,274 31.7 mi
2008 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 30,305 11.1 mi
2007 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 28,476 20.2 mi
5d Top ZIPs

Where in Rowland Heights do fires concentrate?

Top 2 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.

#ZIP5-yr incidents 
1 91748 327
2 91789 10
5e Peer cities

Cities similar to Rowland Heights

Six California cities with population within ±25% of Rowland Heights. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.

07 Stay prepared

Before the next Red Flag day.

A 30-minute weekend can cut your home's exposure substantially. These four checklists are a good starting point.

About this data

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.