In 2025, fire departments serving Triangle responded to 98 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $300K building blaze. 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. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
386 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 61 | — | |
| 2022 | 74 | +21.3% | |
| 2023 | 76 | +2.7% | |
| 2024 | 77 | +1.3% | |
| 2025 | 98 | +27.3% |
For the 4 building fires Triangle 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 | Undetermined | 31 | 37.8% | |
| 2 | Vehicle area, other | 9 | 11.0% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 8 | 9.8% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 9.8% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 8 | 9.8% | |
| 6 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Corridor, mall | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Service facilities, other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 8.5% |
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 Triangle mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 60 | 73.2% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 6 | 7.3% | |
| 3 | Heat, spark from friction | 4 | 4.9% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 10 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 1.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Triangle departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 98% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $300,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $150,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $80,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $40,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $10,000 | Special outside fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $10,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Triangle sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 7,306 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 907 | 48.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 640 | 3.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 500 | 46.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 40.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 431 | 22.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 414 | 46.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Recreation and ceremony | 405 | 48.9 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 48.4 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 350 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 344 | 33.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 318 | 6.4 mi | |
| 2018 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 302 | 47.0 mi |
Top 6 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Virginia cities with population within ±25% of Triangle. 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.