In 2025, fire departments serving Taneytown responded to 167 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $150K 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 68% of all calls.
Nov peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
517 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.2M cumulative property loss. 4 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 76 | — | |
| 2022 | 112 | +47.4% | |
| 2023 | 70 | -37.5% | |
| 2024 | 92 | +31.4% | |
| 2025 | 167 | +81.5% |
For the 64 building fires Taneytown departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 103 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 | 21 | 20.4% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 20 | 19.4% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 10 | 9.7% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 7 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Other | 5 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Structural area, other | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Wall assembly | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 19 | 18.4% |
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 Taneytown mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 52 | 50.5% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 7 | 6.8% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 5.8% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 5.8% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 5 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 5 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 11 | 10.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Taneytown departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $7,000 | Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Taneytown sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,036 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 500 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 36.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 145 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 76 | 34.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 72 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 47.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 55 | 27.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 55 | 28.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 48 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 48 | 14.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Smoking | 48 | 49.9 mi |
Top 3 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Maryland cities with population within ±25% of Taneytown. 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.