In 2025, fire departments serving West Windsor responded to 21 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 81% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
79 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 11 | — | |
| 2022 | 25 | +127.3% | |
| 2023 | 10 | -60.0% | |
| 2024 | 12 | +20.0% | |
| 2025 | 21 | +75.0% |
For the 6 building fires West Windsor departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 13 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 | Wildland, woods | 5 | 38.5% | |
| 2 | Structural area, other | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 7 | Undetermined | 1 | 7.7% |
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 Windsor mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 30.8% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Lightning | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 7 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 7.7% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. West Windsor sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,616 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 | 23.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 190 | 36.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 137 | 17.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 120 | 33.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 92 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 83 | 44.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 62 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 11.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 55 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 54 | 39.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 47 | 45.6 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 Vermont cities with population within ±25% of West Windsor. 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.