In 2025, fire departments serving Otsego County responded to 329 fire and hazmat incidents — including a single $300K property loss. FEMA NRI rates wildfire risk here as Moderate.
Power line down lead by count. Top five categories make up about 75% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips.
1,150 incidents from 2021 through 2025.
| Year | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 232 | |
| 2022 | 175 | |
| 2023 | 163 | |
| 2024 | 251 | |
| 2025 | 329 |
For the 17 building fires departments responded to in 2025, here's how investigators classified them.
Largest single-incident property losses in Otsego County during 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the county's total.
| # | Property loss | City | Type | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $300,000 | Elmira | Building fires | Major |
| 2 | $150,000 | Elmira | Building fires | Significant |
| 3 | $70,000 | Elmira | Building fires | Significant |
| 4 | $15,000 | Elmira | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant |
| 5 | $2,000 | GAYLORD | Building fires | Significant |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples.
12 cities mapped to FIPS 26137.
| City | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| Gaylord | 4,261 | View › |
| Vanderbilt | 495 | View › |
| Waters | 0 | View › |
| Sparr | 0 | View › |
| Hetherton | 0 | View › |
| Eyedylwild Beach | 0 | View › |
| Otsego Lake | 0 | View › |
| Elmira | 0 | View › |
| Oak Grove | 0 | View › |
| Johannesburg | 0 | View › |
| Green Timbers | 0 | View › |
| Arbutus Beach | 0 | View › |
6 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 | Brittle | 2021 | USFS | 5,666 |
| 2 | 21-SLBE Lasso Loop burn | 2021 | NPS | 577 |
| 3 | 21-SLBE Peterson | 2021 | NPS | 512 |
| 4 | 21-SLBE Otter Creek burn | 2021 | NPS | 506 |
| 5 | Horn | 2021 | NPS | 485 |
| 6 | Unhappy Camper | 2015 | USFS | 471 |
| 7 | 21-SLBE Bass Lake burn | 2021 | NPS | 405 |
| 8 | Good Harbor Trail RX | 2023 | NPS | 342 |
| 9 | Summit Lake | 2024 | USFS | 327 |
| 10 | MISNR-FY19-RX-Red Pine Natural Area | 2019 | FWS | 172 |
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.