In 2025, fire departments serving Somerset responded to 108 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K 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 61% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
575 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $2.7M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 106 | — | |
| 2022 | 100 | -5.7% | |
| 2023 | 117 | +17.0% | |
| 2024 | 144 | +23.1% | |
| 2025 | 108 | -25.0% |
For the 11 building fires Somerset departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 119 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 | 23 | 19.3% | |
| 2 | Other | 17 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 11 | 9.2% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 10 | 8.4% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 10 | 8.4% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 6 | 5.0% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 4 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 27 | 22.7% |
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 Somerset mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat source: other | 35 | 29.4% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 30 | 25.2% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 15 | 12.6% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 9 | 7.6% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 6 | 5.0% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 10 | 8.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Somerset departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 98% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $80,000 | Water vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $30,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $30,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Somerset sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,130 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 120 | 32.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 55 | 15.6 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 42 | 46.2 mi | |
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 40 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 35 | 34.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 30 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 36.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 40.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 30 | 39.1 mi |
Top 3 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 Somerset. 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.