In 2025, fire departments serving Otero County responded to 308 fire and hazmat incidents — including a single $971K property loss. FEMA NRI rates wildfire risk here as High.
Authorized controlled burning lead by count. Top five categories make up about 53% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips.
1,369 incidents from 2021 through 2025.
| Year | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 266 | |
| 2022 | 293 | |
| 2023 | 262 | |
| 2024 | 240 | |
| 2025 | 308 |
For the 28 building fires departments responded to in 2025, here's how investigators classified them.
Largest single-incident property losses in Otero County during 2025. These 10 fires alone account for 91% of the county's total.
| # | Property loss | City | Type | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $970,820 | La Junta | Building fires | Major |
| 2 | $350,000 | Fowler | Building fires | Major |
| 3 | $116,080 | La Junta | Building fires | Significant |
| 4 | $100,000 | La Junta | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant |
| 5 | $100,000 | Manzanola | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant |
| 6 | $50,000 | City of La Junta | Building fires | Significant |
| 7 | $45,000 | Rocky Ford | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant |
| 8 | $20,000 | La Junta | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant |
| 9 | $15,000 | Manzanola | Building fires | Significant |
| 10 | $15,000 | Manzanola | Outside equipment fire | Significant |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples.
12 cities mapped to FIPS 08089.
4 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 | Cameron Peak | 2020 | USFS | 208,912 |
| 2 | Pine Gulch | 2020 | BLM | 138,802 |
| 3 | Hayman | 2002 | USFS | 137,760 |
| 4 | Spring Creek | 2018 | BLM | 108,045 |
| 5 | High Park | 2012 | BLM | 87,306 |
| 6 | MISSIONARY RIDGE | 2002 | USFS | 70,480 |
| 7 | WEST FORK | 2013 | USFS | 56,575 |
| 8 | 416 | 2018 | USFS | 54,130 |
| 9 | Papoose | 2013 | USFS | 49,282 |
| 10 | Bridger | 2008 | BLM | 46,588 |
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.