In 2025, fire departments serving Buncombe County responded to 2,219 fire and hazmat incidents — including a single $3.1M property loss. FEMA NRI rates wildfire risk here as Very High.
Building fires lead by count. Top five categories make up about 50% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Sep dips.
10,677 incidents from 2021 through 2025.
| Year | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,633 | |
| 2022 | 2,084 | |
| 2023 | 2,611 | |
| 2024 | 2,130 | |
| 2025 | 2,219 |
For the 328 building fires departments responded to in 2025, here's how investigators classified them.
Largest single-incident property losses in Buncombe County during 2025. These 10 fires alone account for 68% of the county's total.
| # | Property loss | City | Type | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $3,100,000 | ASHEVILLE | Building fires | Major |
| 2 | $1,500,000 | ASHEVILLE | Building fires | Major |
| 3 | $385,000 | ASHEVILLE | Building fires | Major |
| 4 | $385,000 | ASHEVILLE | Building fires | Major |
| 5 | $265,000 | Asheville | Building fires | Major |
| 6 | $226,400 | ASHEVILLE | Building fires | Significant |
| 7 | $200,000 | ARDEN | Building fires | Significant |
| 8 | $200,000 | ASHEVILLE | Building fires | Significant |
| 9 | $175,000 | Leicester | Building fires | Significant |
| 10 | $150,000 | ASHEVILLE | Building fires | Significant |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples.
12 cities mapped to FIPS 37021.
| City | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| Asheville | 93,695 | View › |
| Black Mountain | 8,430 | View › |
| Woodfin | 7,901 | View › |
| Swannanoa | 5,338 | View › |
| Royal Pines | 4,681 | View › |
| Weaverville | 4,559 | View › |
| Avery Creek | 3,338 | View › |
| Emma | 2,969 | View › |
| Biltmore Forest | 1,700 | View › |
| Bent Creek | 1,536 | View › |
| Montreat | 442 | View › |
| Barnardsville | 420 | View › |
5 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 | GREAT LAKES | 2023 | USFS | 32,155 |
| 2 | Whipping Creek Road | 2016 | PRI | 15,456 |
| 3 | COLLETT RIDGE | 2023 | USFS | 5,506 |
| 4 | St Mary's | 2008 | NPS | 4,565 |
| 5 | Carolina Bay | 2009 | USFS | 2,659 |
| 6 | Big Ditch | 2021 | FWS | 1,486 |
| 7 | HANCOCK CREEK | 2022 | USFS | 1,177 |
| 8 | BUCK MTN | 2002 | NPS | 1,124 |
| 9 | NCMCR-FY19-RX-1.1.2.b | 2019 | FWS | 1,080 |
| 10 | VAF220152 | 2022 | NPS | 1,079 |
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.