In 2025, fire departments serving South Woodstock responded to 110 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $15K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 77% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
477 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $988K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 59 | — | |
| 2022 | 66 | +11.9% | |
| 2023 | 101 | +53.0% | |
| 2024 | 141 | +39.6% | |
| 2025 | 110 | -22.0% |
For the 8 building fires South Woodstock departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 82 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 | 14 | 17.1% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 11 | 13.4% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 8 | 9.8% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 8 | 9.8% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 7.3% | |
| 6 | Conduit, pipe, utility, or ventilation shaft | 4 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Other | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Storage area, other | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 18 | 22.0% |
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 South Woodstock mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 27 | 32.9% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 14 | 17.1% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 8 | 9.8% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Cigarette lighter | 5 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 5 | 6.1% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 7 | 8.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by South Woodstock departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. South Woodstock sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,703 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 800 | 42.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 700 | 42.3 mi | |
| 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 361 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 321 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 42.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 256 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 39.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 172 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 120 | 48.2 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 Connecticut cities with population within ±25% of South Woodstock. 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.