In 2025, fire departments serving Union Bridge responded to 88 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K 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 63% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
311 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $840K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 58 | — | |
| 2022 | 58 | +0.0% | |
| 2023 | 38 | -34.5% | |
| 2024 | 69 | +81.6% | |
| 2025 | 88 | +27.5% |
For the 17 building fires Union Bridge departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 65 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 | 14 | 21.5% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 8 | 12.3% | |
| 3 | Other | 6 | 9.2% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 5 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 9 | Structural area, other | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 16.9% |
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 Union Bridge mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 27 | 41.5% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 10 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 10.8% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 6 | 9.2% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 9.2% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 1.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Union Bridge departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $4,000 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $150 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Union Bridge sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,861 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 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 500 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 30.9 mi | |
| 1996 | Recreation and ceremony | 405 | 47.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 145 | 45.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 105 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 76 | 29.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 72 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 55 | 21.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 55 | 33.8 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 Maryland cities with population within ±25% of Union Bridge. 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.