In 2025, fire departments serving Winterport responded to 28 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 61% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
220 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $287K cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 37 | — | |
| 2022 | 34 | -8.1% | |
| 2023 | 78 | +129.4% | |
| 2024 | 43 | -44.9% | |
| 2025 | 28 | -34.9% |
For the 1 building fires Winterport departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 30 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 | Undetermined | 7 | 23.3% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Equipment or service area, other | 4 | 13.3% | |
| 4 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 10.0% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 8 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Enclosure, pressurized air | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 10.0% |
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 Winterport mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 9 | 30.0% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 23.3% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 16.7% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 3 | 10.0% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Match | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Lightning | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Conducted heat from another fire | 1 | 3.3% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Winterport sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,067 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 124 | 40.0 mi | |
| 1994 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 100 | 37.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 77 | 20.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 61 | 43.6 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 57 | 44.3 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 12.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Other causes | 50 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 48 | 25.6 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 42 | 31.6 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 20.9 mi | |
| 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 37.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 35 | 13.7 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 | 04496 | 220 |
Six Maine cities with population within ±25% of Winterport. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Winterport.
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.