In 2025, fire departments serving Winthrop responded to 59 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $5K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Vehicle accident, general cleanup lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 53% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
374 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $560K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 77 | — | |
| 2022 | 63 | -18.2% | |
| 2023 | 85 | +34.9% | |
| 2024 | 90 | +5.9% | |
| 2025 | 59 | -34.4% |
For the 4 building fires Winthrop departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 35 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 | 11 | 31.4% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 7 | 20.0% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Wall assembly | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 11.4% |
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 Winthrop mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 15 | 42.9% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 20.0% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 4 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 8 | Radiated heat from another fire | 1 | 2.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Winthrop departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $500 | Hazardous condition, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Winthrop sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 813 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 64 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 57 | 15.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 51 | 42.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 48 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 43 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 13.7 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 41.0 mi | |
| 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39 | 16.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 35 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 33 | 17.1 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 Maine cities with population within ±25% of Winthrop. 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.