In 2025, fire departments serving White Marsh responded to 41 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $40K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 59% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
175 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $76K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 30 | — | |
| 2022 | 37 | +23.3% | |
| 2023 | 32 | -13.5% | |
| 2024 | 35 | +9.4% | |
| 2025 | 41 | +17.1% |
For the 0 building fires White Marsh departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 17 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 | Outside area, other | 7 | 41.2% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 17.6% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 3 | 17.6% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Wildland, woods | 1 | 5.9% |
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 White Marsh mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 10 | 58.8% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 3 | 17.6% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Lightning | 1 | 5.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by White Marsh departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $40,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $12,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Natural vegetation fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $3,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. White Marsh sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,874 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 522 | 20.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 500 | 28.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 408 | 27.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 150 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 27.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 32.0 mi | |
| 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 67 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59 | 21.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 55 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 48 | 34.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 48 | 41.9 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 White Marsh. 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.