In 2025, fire departments serving West Rutland responded to 15 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $75K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 73% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
84 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $207K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20 | — | |
| 2022 | 15 | -25.0% | |
| 2023 | 15 | +0.0% | |
| 2024 | 19 | +26.7% | |
| 2025 | 15 | -21.1% |
For the 2 building fires West Rutland departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 29 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 | 20.7% | |
| 2 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 5 | 17.2% | |
| 3 | Other | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Wall assembly | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 20.7% |
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 West Rutland mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 12 | 41.4% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 17.2% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Match | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 3.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by West Rutland departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $1,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. West Rutland sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,252 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 270 | 20.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 190 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 173 | 38.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 137 | 33.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Recreation and ceremony | 121 | 33.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 120 | 43.6 mi | |
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 117 | 38.7 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Natural | 95 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 83 | 26.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 82 | 33.0 mi | |
| 1994 | Smoking | 75 | 47.5 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 Vermont cities with population within ±25% of West Rutland. 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.