In 2025, fire departments serving Shirley responded to 109 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 72% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
619 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 121 | — | |
| 2022 | 128 | +5.8% | |
| 2023 | 129 | +0.8% | |
| 2024 | 132 | +2.3% | |
| 2025 | 109 | -17.4% |
For the 31 building fires Shirley departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 14 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 | Wall surface: exterior | 6 | 42.9% | |
| 2 | Wall assembly | 3 | 21.4% | |
| 3 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 2 | 14.3% | |
| 4 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 1 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 1 | 7.1% |
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 Shirley mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 9 | 64.3% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 2 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 1 | 7.1% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 7.1% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Shirley sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 9,202 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 5,050 | 13.5 mi | |
| 1995 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,000 | 4.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 992 | 6.4 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 250 | 4.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 175 | 48.7 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 152 | 13.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | 125 | 16.9 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 125 | 48.7 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 4.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 4.8 mi | |
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 100 | 48.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 31.1 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 Shirley. 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.