In 2025, fire departments serving Southern Shores responded to 24 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $2.0M 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 79% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
194 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $3.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50 | — | |
| 2022 | 45 | -10.0% | |
| 2023 | 42 | -6.7% | |
| 2024 | 33 | -21.4% | |
| 2025 | 24 | -27.3% |
For the 10 building fires Southern Shores departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 48 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 | 13 | 27.1% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 8 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 10 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 12.5% |
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 Southern Shores mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 14 | 29.2% | |
| 2 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 8.3% | |
| 3 | Cigarette | 4 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 10 | Chemical reaction | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 9 | 18.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Southern Shores departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,024,900 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Southern Shores sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 117,888 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Natural | 45,294 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Natural | 41,060 | 46.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | 15,449 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Firearms and explosives use | 2,300 | 29.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,100 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Firearms and explosives use | 1,552 | 22.3 mi | |
| 1992 | Natural | 1,200 | 48.6 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 900 | 31.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 886 | 24.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 760 | 25.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 700 | 45.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 681 | 23.2 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27949 | 194 |
Six North Carolina cities with population within ±25% of Southern Shores. 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.