In 2025, fire departments serving Walkersville responded to 44 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $400K 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 52% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
230 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $851K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51 | — | |
| 2022 | 40 | -21.6% | |
| 2023 | 46 | +15.0% | |
| 2024 | 49 | +6.5% | |
| 2025 | 44 | -10.2% |
For the 6 building fires Walkersville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 35 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 17.1% | |
| 2 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 5 | 14.3% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 8 | Other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 17.1% |
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 Walkersville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 10 | 28.6% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 22.9% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Fireworks | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Candle | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 5.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Walkersville departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $65,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $4,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $100 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Walkersville sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,266 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 | 35.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 500 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 24.5 mi | |
| 1996 | Recreation and ceremony | 405 | 35.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 36.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 350 | 38.7 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 40.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 145 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 105 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 76 | 19.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 58 | 48.6 mi |
Top 3 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 Walkersville. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Walkersville.
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.