In 2025, fire departments serving Vassalboro responded to 50 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $3K 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 72% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
271 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $6K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 45 | — | |
| 2022 | 57 | +26.7% | |
| 2023 | 49 | -14.0% | |
| 2024 | 70 | +42.9% | |
| 2025 | 50 | -28.6% |
For the 17 building fires Vassalboro departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 29 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 | 16 | 55.2% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 20.7% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 1 | 3.4% |
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 Vassalboro mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 19 | 65.5% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 4 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Backfire from internal combustion engine | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 3.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Vassalboro departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $3,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Vassalboro sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 801 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 77 | 32.2 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 57 | 9.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 48 | 20.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 43 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 26.9 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 24.2 mi | |
| 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39 | 33.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 35 | 30.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 33 | 33.0 mi | |
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 32 | 33.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | 32 | 49.5 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 Maine cities with population within ±25% of Vassalboro. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Vassalboro.
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.