In 2025, fire departments serving Southampton responded to 53 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $400K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 62% of all calls.
Sep peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
287 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 57 | — | |
| 2022 | 49 | -14.0% | |
| 2023 | 59 | +20.4% | |
| 2024 | 69 | +16.9% | |
| 2025 | 53 | -23.2% |
For the 7 building fires Southampton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 44 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 | Vehicle area, other | 7 | 15.9% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 6 | 13.6% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 11.4% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Other | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Storage area, other | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 7 | Structural area, other | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 15.9% |
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 Southampton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat source: other | 7 | 15.9% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 7 | 15.9% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 7 | 15.9% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 6 | 13.6% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 10 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 9.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Southampton departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $180,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Southampton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,695 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,300 | 36.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 384 | 43.8 mi | |
| 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 361 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 321 | 5.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 272 | 39.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 10.8 mi | |
| 1994 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 180 | 42.1 mi | |
| 1994 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 180 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 175 | 33.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Recreation and ceremony | 137 | 41.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 130 | 34.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 120 | 37.2 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 Massachusetts cities with population within ±25% of Southampton. 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.