In 2025, fire departments serving Adams County responded to 649 fire and hazmat incidents — including a single $315K property loss. FEMA NRI rates wildfire risk here as Moderate.
Building fires lead by count. Top five categories make up about 56% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Dec dips.
5,962 incidents from 2021 through 2025.
| Year | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,449 | |
| 2022 | 1,480 | |
| 2023 | 1,406 | |
| 2024 | 978 | |
| 2025 | 649 |
For the 228 building fires departments responded to in 2025, here's how investigators classified them.
Largest single-incident property losses in Adams County during 2025. These 10 fires alone account for 99% of the county's total.
| # | Property loss | City | Type | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $315,000 | East Berlin | Building fires | Major |
| 2 | $75,000 | Mount PleasantTown | Building fires | Significant |
| 3 | $70,000 | Littlestown | Building fires | Significant |
| 4 | $40,000 | Littlestown | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant |
| 5 | $25,000 | ORRTANNA | Building fires | Significant |
| 6 | $15,000 | ParadiseTownship o | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant |
| 7 | $15,000 | GuilfordTownship o | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant |
| 8 | $8,000 | Mount PleasantTown | Building fires | Significant |
| 9 | $5,000 | GreeneTownship of | Building fires | Significant |
| 10 | $2,000 | Littlestown | Building fires | Significant |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples.
12 cities mapped to FIPS 42001.
| City | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| Gettysburg | 7,709 | View › |
| Straban | 4,879 | View › |
| Littlestown | 4,779 | View › |
| Mount Pleasant | 4,684 | View › |
| Carroll Valley | 3,947 | View › |
| McSherrystown | 3,087 | View › |
| Germany | 2,848 | View › |
| Lake Heritage | 2,731 | View › |
| Latimore | 2,658 | View › |
| Huntington | 2,530 | View › |
| Lake Meade | 2,504 | View › |
| Hamiltonban | 2,253 | View › |
89 departments report from this county.
Top 10 fire perimeters by acres burned (state-scoped fallback while we build out per-county polygons).
| # | Name | Year | Agency | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hopewell | 2012 | NPS | 812 |
| 2 | Blue Mountain | 2024 | NPS | 577 |
| 3 | River Road | 2023 | USFS | 430 |
| 4 | SNYDER | 1999 | NPS | 374 |
| 5 | Town Line Church | 1984 | USFS | 207 |
| 6 | Little Round Top Munshower | 2021 | NPS | 79 |
| 7 | Sugar Bay | 2023 | USFS | 62 |
| 8 | Spring | 2003 | USFS | 53 |
| 9 | Salmon Creek | 2010 | USFS | 48 |
| 10 | BELLTOWN | 2011 | USFS | 42 |
County-level NFIRS aggregates for 2025, plus 5-year totals across 2021–2025. NFIRS is voluntary — about 23,000 of roughly 30,000 US fire departments report — so totals are a strong indicator, not a complete census. Wildfire risk score (0–100) and Expected Annual Loss come from FEMA's National Risk Index. Drought class is the most recent USDM classification (D0 = abnormally dry through D4 = exceptional drought). Historical fire perimeters are sourced from the NIFC InterAgency Fire Perimeter History.