Senators Warn Federal Firefighting Budget Nearly Exhausted With Fire Season Not Over
Five senators told Interior and USDA the $6 billion FY2026 fire suppression budget was nearly spent by Sept. 2, citing staffing gaps and firefighter deaths.
In 2025, fire departments serving Terrebonne responded to 111 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $30K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Authorized controlled burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 79% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
473 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $759K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 86 | — | |
| 2022 | 61 | -29.1% | |
| 2023 | 85 | +39.3% | |
| 2024 | 130 | +52.9% | |
| 2025 | 111 | -14.6% |
For the 5 building fires Terrebonne departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 82 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 | 14 | 17.1% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 12 | 14.6% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 9 | 11.0% | |
| 4 | Other | 8 | 9.8% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 7 | 8.5% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 6.1% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 4.9% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 13 | 15.9% |
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 Terrebonne mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 31 | 37.8% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 8 | 9.8% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 7.3% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 5 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 5 | 6.1% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Arcing | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 11 | 13.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Terrebonne departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $30,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Terrebonne sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 959,399 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Natural | 204,469 | 35.4 mi | |
| 1996 | Equipment and vehicle use | 118,230 | 44.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Natural | 79,734 | 32.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 66,613 | 34.3 mi | |
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 53,000 | 32.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 51,384 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 50,900 | 44.3 mi | |
| 1994 | Other causes | 33,490 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 29,500 | 28.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 26,795 | 28.3 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 24,025 | 28.6 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 23,573 | 23.3 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 Oregon cities with population within ±25% of Terrebonne. 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.