In 2025, fire departments serving Sheffield responded to 27 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 85% of all calls.
Feb peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
151 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. 3 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35 | — | |
| 2022 | 27 | -22.9% | |
| 2023 | 32 | +18.5% | |
| 2024 | 30 | -6.2% | |
| 2025 | 27 | -10.0% |
For the 4 building fires Sheffield departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 83 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 | Outside area, other | 29 | 34.9% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 16 | 19.3% | |
| 3 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 6 | 7.2% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 5 | 6.0% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Roof surface: exterior | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Function area, other | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Structural area, other | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 9.6% |
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 Sheffield mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hot ember or ash | 37 | 44.6% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 9 | 10.8% | |
| 3 | Match | 7 | 8.4% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 6 | 7.2% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 6.0% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Undetermined | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 3.6% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Sheffield sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 9,436 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Smoking | 2,855 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,300 | 26.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 998 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Smoking | 550 | 30.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 384 | 22.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 321 | 28.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Recreation and ceremony | 285 | 26.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 272 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 240 | 45.8 mi | |
| 1994 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 180 | 33.0 mi | |
| 1994 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 180 | 33.0 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 Massachusetts cities with population within ±25% of Sheffield. 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.