In 2025, fire departments serving West Gardiner responded to 47 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $15K 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 55% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
251 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $2.5M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 33 | — | |
| 2022 | 31 | -6.1% | |
| 2023 | 75 | +141.9% | |
| 2024 | 65 | -13.3% | |
| 2025 | 47 | -27.7% |
For the 13 building fires West Gardiner departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 39 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 | 15 | 38.5% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 12 | 30.8% | |
| 3 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 4 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Separate operator/control area of transportation | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 5.1% |
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 West Gardiner mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 20 | 51.3% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 6 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 5 | Molten, hot material | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 7 | Match | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Lightning | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by West Gardiner departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. West Gardiner sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,043 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 236 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 77 | 44.1 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 64 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 57 | 12.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 51 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 48 | 32.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 20.9 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 42.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39 | 18.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 35 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 33 | 23.0 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 04345 | 251 |
Six Maine cities with population within ±25% of West Gardiner. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in West Gardiner.
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.