In 2025, fire departments serving Washburn responded to 14 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $8K 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 85% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
61 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $229K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 16 | — | |
| 2022 | 11 | -31.2% | |
| 2023 | 12 | +9.1% | |
| 2024 | 8 | -33.3% | |
| 2025 | 14 | +75.0% |
For the 8 building fires Washburn departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 14 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 | 10 | 71.4% | |
| 2 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 7.1% | |
| 3 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 7.1% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 1 | 7.1% |
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 Washburn mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 10 | 71.4% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 2 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 14.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Washburn departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $8,000 | Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $1 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Washburn sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,501 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 145 | 37.3 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 129 | 6.2 mi | |
| 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 110 | 34.7 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 92 | 17.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 14.5 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 75 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 65 | 32.6 mi | |
| 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 65 | 25.9 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 59 | 13.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 56 | 33.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Equipment and vehicle use | 52 | 31.1 mi | |
| 1994 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 32.3 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 Washburn. 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.