In 2025, fire departments serving Wales responded to 31 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $310K 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 97% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
140 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 25 | — | |
| 2022 | 24 | -4.0% | |
| 2023 | 39 | +62.5% | |
| 2024 | 21 | -46.2% | |
| 2025 | 31 | +47.6% |
For the 12 building fires Wales departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 24 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 | 6 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Other | 3 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Function area, other | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 16.7% |
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 Wales mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 15 | 62.5% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 3 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Match | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 4.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Wales departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $309,600 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $269,400 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Wales sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 6,035 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,300 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 800 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 700 | 42.7 mi | |
| 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 361 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 321 | 30.9 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 256 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 23.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 175 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 172 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 40.6 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 Massachusetts cities with population within ±25% of Wales. 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.