ZIP 98244 recorded 53 fire and hazmat incidents in 2025, 242 across 2021–2025. Primary county: Whatcom County, WA. FEMA NRI rates wildfire risk here as High.
242 incidents from 2021 through 2025 inside this ZIP.
| Year | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 73 | |
| 2022 | 40 | |
| 2023 | 40 | |
| 2024 | 36 | |
| 2025 | 53 |
Aug peaks. Apr dips. Aggregated across all 5 years inside this ZIP.
Top 5 NFIRS incident types for ZIP 98244 across 2021–2025.
| # | Incident type | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unauthorized burning | 59 | 24.4% | |
| 2 | Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire | 25 | 10.3% | |
| 3 | Arcing, shorted electrical equipment | 19 | 7.9% | |
| 4 | Building fires | 17 | 7.0% | |
| 5 | Power line down | 11 | 4.5% |
For the 2 building fires reported here in 2025, here's how investigators classified ignition cause.
NFIRS Area of Origin for ZIP 98244 fires across 2021–2025.
| # | Area of origin | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 23 | 51.1% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Other | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 5 | Roof surface: exterior | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 7 | Outside area, other | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | All other areas | 7 | 15.6% |
NFIRS HEAT_SOURC code — the physical thing that started the fire.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 26 | 57.8% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 4 | 8.9% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 6 | Chemical reaction | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | All other sources | 5 | 11.1% |
Largest single-incident losses in ZIP 98244 across 2021–2025. These 8 fires alone account for 604% of the ZIP's 2025 reported total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Year | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | 2022 | Significant |
| 2 | $141,748 | Building fires | 2021 | Significant |
| 3 | $80,000 | Outside storage fire | 2025 | Significant |
| 4 | $36,710 | Building fires | 2024 | Significant |
| 5 | $30,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | 2021 | Significant |
| 6 | $30,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | 2021 | Significant |
| 7 | $20,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | 2022 | Significant |
| 8 | $12,000 | Building fires | 2021 | Significant |
Some ZIPs span multiple cities. Ranked by 5-yr NFIRS incidents inside ZIP 98244.
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 — 242 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.