In 2025, fire departments serving Runnemede responded to 56 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K 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 66% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
368 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $416K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 58 | — | |
| 2022 | 72 | +24.1% | |
| 2023 | 83 | +15.3% | |
| 2024 | 99 | +19.3% | |
| 2025 | 56 | -43.4% |
For the 4 building fires Runnemede departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 59 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 10 | 16.9% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 10 | 16.9% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 5 | 8.5% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 4 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 4 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 14 | 23.7% |
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 Runnemede mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 28 | 47.5% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 5 | 8.5% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 6.8% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 5.1% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 6.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Runnemede departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $4,000 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Runnemede sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 110,555 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 19,225 | 40.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 17,050 | 41.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | 11,765 | 36.3 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 11,638 | 33.6 mi | |
| 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,284 | 41.1 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,832 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,577 | 25.9 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 3,477 | 48.0 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,900 | 26.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,730 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,600 | 32.9 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,450 | 21.8 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 Jersey cities with population within ±25% of Runnemede. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Runnemede.
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.