In 2025, fire departments serving Waldoboro responded to 70 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Biological hazard, confirmed or suspected lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 60% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
395 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $277K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 76 | — | |
| 2022 | 93 | +22.4% | |
| 2023 | 74 | -20.4% | |
| 2024 | 82 | +10.8% | |
| 2025 | 70 | -14.6% |
For the 9 building fires Waldoboro departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 27 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 | 51.9% | |
| 2 | Equipment or service area, other | 5 | 18.5% | |
| 3 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Ceiling & floor assembly, crawl space b/t stories | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Construction/renovation area | 1 | 3.7% |
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 Waldoboro mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 15 | 55.6% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 22.2% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 5 | Cigarette | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 6 | Candle | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Radiated heat from another fire | 1 | 3.7% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Waldoboro sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 714 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 | 25.3 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 57 | 18.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 48 | 19.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 46.1 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 40.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 35 | 30.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 33 | 49.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 33 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 32 | 39.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 31 | 45.6 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 29 | 36.4 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 Waldoboro. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Waldoboro.
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.