In 2025, fire departments serving Springfield responded to 135 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Hazardous condition, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 60% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
630 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $800K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 79 | — | |
| 2022 | 134 | +69.6% | |
| 2023 | 136 | +1.5% | |
| 2024 | 146 | +7.4% | |
| 2025 | 135 | -7.5% |
For the 3 building fires Springfield departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 56 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 12 | 21.4% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 11 | 19.6% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 7.1% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 4 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 3 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Maintenance shop or area, paint shop or area | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Exterior, exposed surface | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Other | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 13 | 23.2% |
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 Springfield mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 24 | 42.9% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 8.9% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 3 | 5.4% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 8.9% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Springfield sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,643 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 270 | 21.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 190 | 25.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 137 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 120 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 120 | 46.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 92 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 83 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 19.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 55 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 54 | 47.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 47 | 32.7 mi |
Top 4 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Vermont cities with population within ±25% of Springfield. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Springfield.
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.