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2025 Annual Fire Report

Fires in San Carlos, California

In 2025, fire departments serving San Carlos responded to 156 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K building blaze. Here's the full picture.

Updated Sep 27, 2026 Grade A Peak yr 2023 San Mateo County 30,490 residents 0 reporting departments 851 5-yr
Total incidents
156
+18.2% vs 2024
Building fires
6
Residential 67% Other 33%
Property loss
$268K
$181K structure · $87K contents
Deaths & injuries
0 / 2
0 civilian deaths · 2 civ injuries · 0 firefighter injuries
01 The mix

What kinds of fires happen here?

Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 59% of all calls.

156
Total Incidents
Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other 47 30.1%
Power line down 14 9.0%
Cooking fire, confined to container 11 7.1%
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) 10 6.4%
Arcing, shorted electrical equipment 10 6.4%
All other categories 64 41.0%
02 Seasonality

When do fires happen?

Jul peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.

Jan 10
Feb 15
Mar 9
Apr 15
May 15
Jun 14
Jul 16
Aug 8
Sep 14
Oct 14
Nov 13
Dec 13
Fewer
More
2b Five-year trend

Year over year in San Carlos

851 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.5M cumulative property loss.

YearIncidentsYoY 
2021 180 —
2022 157 -12.8%
2023 226 +43.9%
2024 132 -41.6%
2025 156 +18.2%
03 Cause of ignition

What sparks building fires?

For the 6 building fires San Carlos departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.

Unintentional
58%
15
Cause undetermined
27%
7
Intentional / arson
0%
0
Equipment / heat source failure
8%
2
Under investigation
8%
2
Act of nature (lightning)
-1%
0
3b Where fires start

Where do fires start in San Carlos?

NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 77 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 Engine area, running gear, wheel area 19 24.7%
2 Undetermined 10 13.0%
3 Other 7 9.1%
4 Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison 6 7.8%
5 Cooking area, kitchen 6 7.8%
6 Outside area, other 4 5.2%
7 Vehicle area, other 3 3.9%
8 Egress/exit, other 2 2.6%
9 Function area, other 2 2.6%
10 Vehicle storage area; garage, carport 2 2.6%
11 All other areas 16 20.8%
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 San Carlos mix.

#Heat sourceCountShare 
1 Undetermined 33 42.9%
2 Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment 9 11.7%
3 Heat source: other 8 10.4%
4 Heat from powered equipment, other 8 10.4%
5 Hot or smoldering object, other 4 5.2%
6 Arcing 3 3.9%
7 Chemical reaction 3 3.9%
8 Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment 2 2.6%
9 Cigarette 2 2.6%
10 Cigarette lighter 2 2.6%
11 All other sources 3 3.9%
04 The biggest fires

8 fires · $179K in losses

Largest single-incident property losses reported by San Carlos departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.

# Property loss Type Severity Status
1 $100,000 Building fires Significant Investigated
2 $30,000 Building fires Significant Investigated
3 $30,000 Passenger vehicle fire Significant Investigated
4 $5,000 Building fires Significant Investigated
5 $5,000 Passenger vehicle fire Significant Investigated
6 $4,368 Passenger vehicle fire Significant Investigated
7 $2,500 Building fires Significant Investigated
8 $2,000 Passenger vehicle fire Significant Investigated
05 How San Carlos compares

San Carlos vs California vs the nation

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

5.12
Incidents per 1,000 residents
San Carlos
5.12
CA avg
5.32
US avg
7.48
0.2
Building fires per 1,000 residents
San Carlos
0.2
CA avg
0.32
US avg
0.85
0
Civilian fire deaths per million
San Carlos
0
CA avg
2.9
US avg
5.9
5c Wildfires nearby

Wildfires within 50 mi of San Carlos

Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 612,360 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.

50 mi radius
YearCauseAcresDistance 
2020 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 396,624 38.7 mi
2020 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 86,509 16.8 mi
2007 Recreation and ceremony 47,760 46.6 mi
2009 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 12,200 41.0 mi
2009 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 7,817 24.6 mi
2003 Equipment and vehicle use 6,804 49.7 mi
2005 Arson/incendiarism 6,744 37.5 mi
2003 Natural 5,018 46.7 mi
2020 Natural 4,929 47.6 mi
2016 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 4,474 36.1 mi
2020 Natural 4,279 43.6 mi
2008 Missing data/not specified/undetermined 4,270 31.1 mi
5d Top ZIPs

Where in San Carlos do fires concentrate?

Top 6 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 94070 816
2 94010 21
3 94063 6
4 94002 4
5 94062 3
6 94065 1
5e Peer cities

Cities similar to San Carlos

Six California cities with population within ±25% of San Carlos. 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.