In 2025, fire departments serving Wilton responded to 57 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $2K 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 74% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
314 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $369K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 58 | — | |
| 2022 | 55 | -5.2% | |
| 2023 | 94 | +70.9% | |
| 2024 | 50 | -46.8% | |
| 2025 | 57 | +14.0% |
For the 1 building fires Wilton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 34 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 | 8 | 23.5% | |
| 2 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 6 | 17.6% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 14.7% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 11.8% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 8.8% |
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 Wilton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arcing | 8 | 23.5% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 5 | 14.7% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 9 | Molten, hot material | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Incendiary device | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 14.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Wilton departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,500 | Fuel burner/boiler malfunction, fire confined | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Wilton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,103 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 800 | 24.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 700 | 24.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 24.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 256 | 24.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 23.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 190 | 22.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 186 | 40.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 172 | 24.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 120 | 27.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 92 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 90 | 47.8 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 New Hampshire cities with population within ±25% of Wilton. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Wilton.
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.