In 2025, fire departments serving Plumas County responded to 153 fire and hazmat incidents — including a single $60K property loss. FEMA NRI rates wildfire risk here as Very High.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Top five categories make up about 47% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips.
853 incidents from 2021 through 2025.
| Year | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 253 | |
| 2022 | 171 | |
| 2023 | 110 | |
| 2024 | 166 | |
| 2025 | 153 |
For the 6 building fires departments responded to in 2025, here's how investigators classified them.
Largest single-incident property losses in Plumas County during 2025. These 10 fires alone account for 100% of the county's total.
| # | Property loss | City | Type | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $60,000 | Chester | Fire, other | Significant |
| 2 | $50,000 | Hamilton Branch | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant |
| 3 | $20,000 | Portola | Building fires | Significant |
| 4 | $15,000 | DELLEKER | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant |
| 5 | $7,800 | Beckwourth | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant |
| 6 | $5,000 | CHESTERAREA | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant |
| 7 | $4,000 | Portola | Building fires | Significant |
| 8 | $3,500 | Chester | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant |
| 9 | $1,000 | BLAIRSDEN | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant |
| 10 | $500 | Portola | Natural vegetation fire, other | Significant |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples.
12 cities mapped to FIPS 06063.
| City | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| Portola | 2,427 | View › |
| East Quincy | 2,399 | View › |
| Chester | 2,271 | View › |
| Quincy | 1,368 | View › |
| Greenville | 705 | View › |
| Lake Almanor Country Club | 529 | View › |
| Beckwourth | 457 | View › |
| Hamilton Branch | 454 | View › |
| Plumas Eureka | 444 | View › |
| Meadow Valley | 434 | View › |
| Iron Horse | 418 | View › |
| Cromberg | 401 | View › |
14 departments report from this county.
Top 10 fire perimeters by acres burned (state-scoped fallback while we build out per-county polygons).
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.