In 2025, fire departments serving Templeton responded to 72 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $500K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Carbon monoxide incident lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 63% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
384 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 72 | — | |
| 2022 | 54 | -25.0% | |
| 2023 | 70 | +29.6% | |
| 2024 | 116 | +65.7% | |
| 2025 | 72 | -37.9% |
For the 10 building fires Templeton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 47 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 | 14 | 29.8% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 6 | 12.8% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 8.5% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 4 | 8.5% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 8.5% | |
| 6 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 14.9% |
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 Templeton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 19 | 40.4% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 5 | 10.6% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 8.5% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 8.5% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Radiated heat from another fire | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 4.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Templeton departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $14,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $9,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Templeton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,286 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 800 | 22.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 700 | 22.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 321 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 22.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 256 | 22.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 30.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 22.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 190 | 33.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 172 | 22.7 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 120 | 7.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 79 | 22.5 mi |
Top 8 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 Templeton. 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.