In 2025, fire departments serving Strong responded to 16 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $2K 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 88% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
120 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $65K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20 | — | |
| 2022 | 29 | +45.0% | |
| 2023 | 33 | +13.8% | |
| 2024 | 22 | -33.3% | |
| 2025 | 16 | -27.3% |
For the 2 building fires Strong departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 13 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 | Undetermined | 4 | 30.8% | |
| 2 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 4 | Exterior, exposed surface | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 7 | Multiple areas | 1 | 7.7% |
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 Strong mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 6 | 46.2% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 23.1% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Conducted heat from another fire | 1 | 7.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Strong departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Strong sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 787 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 64 | 30.3 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 57 | 44.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 51 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 43 | 12.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 42.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 25.8 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 43.2 mi | |
| 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 34.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39 | 41.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 33 | 31.4 mi | |
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 32 | 46.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | 32 | 25.5 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 Maine cities with population within ±25% of Strong. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Strong.
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.