ZIP 20842 recorded 59 fire and hazmat incidents in 2025, 212 across 2021–2025. Primary county: Frederick County, MD.
212 incidents from 2021 through 2025 inside this ZIP.
| Year | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 33 | |
| 2022 | 34 | |
| 2023 | 38 | |
| 2024 | 48 | |
| 2025 | 59 |
Mar peaks. Oct dips. Aggregated across all 5 years inside this ZIP.
Top 5 NFIRS incident types for ZIP 20842 across 2021–2025.
| # | Incident type | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Power line down | 68 | 32.1% | |
| 2 | Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other | 24 | 11.3% | |
| 3 | Building fires | 16 | 7.5% | |
| 4 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | 15 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Hazardous condition, other | 13 | 6.1% |
For the 2 building fires reported here in 2025, here's how investigators classified ignition cause.
NFIRS Area of Origin for ZIP 20842 fires across 2021–2025.
| # | Area of origin | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 10 | 27.8% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 6 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 5 | 13.9% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Other | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | All other areas | 6 | 16.7% |
NFIRS HEAT_SOURC code — the physical thing that started the fire.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 15 | 41.7% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 6 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | All other sources | 4 | 11.1% |
Largest single-incident losses in ZIP 20842 across 2021–2025. These 8 fires alone account for 0% of the ZIP's 2025 reported total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Year | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $300,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | 2021 | Major |
| 2 | $50,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | 2022 | Significant |
| 3 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | 2024 | Significant |
| 4 | $15,000 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | 2021 | Significant |
| 5 | $15,000 | Building fires | 2023 | Significant |
| 6 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | 2021 | Significant |
| 7 | $6,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | 2023 | Significant |
| 8 | $1,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | 2021 | Significant |
Some ZIPs span multiple cities. Ranked by 5-yr NFIRS incidents inside ZIP 20842.
| # | City | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clarksburg | 1 | |
| 2 | Damascus | 1 | |
| 3 | Poolesville | 1 |
Some ZIPs span multiple counties. The primary above is the largest by population weight; secondary counties are below.
| County | State | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County | MD | 1.00 | FIPS 24031 |
The figures above are historical. For today's air quality, fire-weather warnings, and active fires, go to the official sources.
NFIRS reports each fire incident with a 5-digit address ZIP. We aggregate those rows directly to produce ZIP-level totals — 212 incidents in this ZIP across 2021–2025. Building-fire breakdowns (Area of Origin, Heat Source, ignition cause) only count fires investigators classified beyond the basic incident report. Because NFIRS reporting is voluntary, totals are a strong indicator rather than a complete census.