Seattle 911 calls for trash and open fires hit a 2026 record

The short version

Claim we investigated

Seattle's 911 calls for trash fires and illegal open burning are at a record high so far in 2026

True. Seattle firefighters got 3,809 911 calls for trash and open fires from January to October 2026, a record. Calls jumped from 2019 to 2022 and have stayed near that level; 2026's small rise came from illegal burn calls. Fires confirmed at tents and RVs fell by about half.

Quote or cite this fact-check

FactHub rates the claim “Seattle's 911 calls for trash fires and illegal open burning are at a record high so far in 2026” True (high confidence): Seattle firefighters got 3,809 911 calls for trash and open fires from January to October 2026, a record. Reviewed November 10, 2026. https://facthub.org/n/article/seattle-911-trash-open-fire-calls-record/7

Key points

What the evidence establishes

Established. From January to October 2026, firefighters were sent to 3,809 calls for trash fires, illegal burns and encampment fires, a record. Illegal burn and rubbish fire calls alone, 3,771, are also a record.
Established. That is more than six times the 2015 to 2018 average of 596; calls jumped from 2019 to 2022 and have stayed near that level since.
Established. Around the Chinatown-International District and Little Saigon, calls rose 58% in 2026, to 665; downtown, they fell.
Established. Fires the department confirmed at tents and RVs fell by about half, from 1,617 in 2022 to 830 in 2025. Most of these calls are not confirmed encampment fires.
Established. The record is in raw counts and is narrow: 2026 is 2.7% above 2025, and per 1,000 residents, 2022 (4.73) was higher than 2026 (4.63).
Not shown. A call is not a confirmed fire. The call type is what crews were sent for, and illegal burns include cooking and warming fires.

Important context: The Seattle Fire Department logs every 911 call it sends crews to, with the type of call they were sent for. Three call types cover most burning on streets and at camps. An illegal burn is an open fire, such as a cooking or warming fire. A rubbish fire is burning trash. Since August 2021 there is also an encampment fire type. A 2021 news report said the department's count of encampment fires also included illegal burns, such as cooking and warming fires. We rate what the city's data measures: 911 calls of these three types.

The evidence

The conclusion rests on the combined record. Expand each item to see its role and limitations.

Independence note: This check uses 2 methods across 2 institutions and 1 country or international grouping.

Evidence map
Method	Institution / country	Year(s)	What it shows	Key limitation	Primary links
Count of every incident the Seattle Fire Department dispatched as an illegal burn, a rubbish fire or an encampment fire, January to October of each year from 2004 to 2026 and full years 2004 to 2025, from the city's public dispatch data; also counted inside two latitude and longitude boxes in central Seattle	Seattle Fire Department United States	2004, 2018, 2022, 2025, 2026	January to October calls for the three types: about 440 to 640 a year from 2004 to 2018, 3,605 in 2022, 3,708 in 2025 and 3,809 in 2026, the most on record. Encampment fire calls fell from 820 in 2022 to 38 in 2026 as that type fell out of use, while illegal burn calls rose from 1,426 to 2,394. Around the Chinatown-International District and Little Saigon, calls rose 58% in 2026, to 665; downtown, they fell from 604 in 2024 to 528.	A call type is what crews were sent for, not the cause found on scene, so a call is not a confirmed fire. Counting each address once a day to drop repeat dispatches, 2026 still leads, with 3,731 against 3,637 in 2025; the log doesn't mark cancelled dispatches. More people calling 911 about the same kinds of fires would also raise the count; the data can't separate that from more burning. Illegal burns include cooking and warming fires. The data can be revised; we counted it on November 9 and 10, 2026. Brush fires are not included. Adding dumpster fire calls keeps 2026 on top, with 4,135 against 4,035 in 2025.	FactHub dataset FactHub dataset FactHub dataset FactHub dataset FactHub dataset City of Seattle KOMO News FactHub dataset FactHub dataset FactHub dataset
The city's counts of fires the fire department confirmed at tent and RV encampments, from the Human Services Department's 2025 end-of-year and August 2026 reports to the City Council, set beside the dispatch calls	City of Seattle Human Services Department, Seattle Fire Department United States	2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026	Fires the fire department confirmed at tents and RVs: 1,617 in 2022, 1,351 in 2023, 892 in 2024 and 830 in 2025. From January to June 2026 there were 377, 5% fewer than a year earlier. Calls for the three types stayed between 4,405 and 4,610 a year from 2022 to 2025.	The city doesn't publish how it decides a fire was at an encampment. The two counts use different rules and are not matched call by call. The reports come from the department that runs the city's encampment work, and its field staff say campers may avoid calling 911, so fewer reports may not mean safer camps.	City of Seattle Human Services Department City of Seattle Human Services Department FactHub dataset

1. The fire department's dispatch log: a record for trash and open fire calls Count of every incident the Seattle Fire Department dispatched as an illegal burn, a rubbish fire or an encampment fire, January to October of each year from 2004 to 2026 and full years 2004 to 2025, from the city's public dispatch data; also counted inside two latitude and longitude boxes in central Seattle

January to October calls for the three types: about 440 to 640 a year from 2004 to 2018, 3,605 in 2022, 3,708 in 2025 and 3,809 in 2026, the most on record. Encampment fire calls fell from 820 in 2022 to 38 in 2026 as that type fell out of use, while illegal burn calls rose from 1,426 to 2,394. Around the Chinatown-International District and Little Saigon, calls rose 58% in 2026, to 665; downtown, they fell from 604 in 2024 to 528.

Limit: A call type is what crews were sent for, not the cause found on scene, so a call is not a confirmed fire. Counting each address once a day to drop repeat dispatches, 2026 still leads, with 3,731 against 3,637 in 2025; the log doesn't mark cancelled dispatches. More people calling 911 about the same kinds of fires would also raise the count; the data can't separate that from more burning. Illegal burns include cooking and warming fires. The data can be revised; we counted it on November 9 and 10, 2026. Brush fires are not included. Adding dumpster fire calls keeps 2026 on top, with 4,135 against 4,035 in 2025.

Verify: 911 calls for the three types, January to October, 2004 to 2026 911 calls by call type, January to October, 2004 to 2026 911 calls for the three types, full years, 2004 to 2025 911 calls in two central areas, January to October, 2015 to 2026 911 calls per 1,000 Seattle residents, January to October, 2020 to 2026 Seattle Real Time Fire 911 Calls No stop to surge in Seattle's homeless camp fires (September 24, 2021) Calls counted once per address per day, January to October Illegal burn calls at former encampment fire addresses, 2019 to 2026 Calls including dumpster fires, January to October, 2015 to 2026

January to October totals: 635 in 2018, 1,672 in 2020, 2,711 in 2021, 3,605 in 2022, 3,480 in 2023, 3,605 in 2024, 3,708 in 2025 and 3,809 in 2026, the highest since 2004. The 2015 to 2018 average was 596. 2026 is 2.7% above 2025 and 5.7% above 2022. FactHub dataset
Encampment fire calls, January to October: 820 in 2022, 163 in 2025 and 38 in 2026. Illegal burn calls: 1,426 in 2022 and 2,394 in 2026. Rubbish fire calls: 1,359 and 1,377. Illegal burn and rubbish fire calls together: 3,771 in 2026, more than all three types in any earlier year. FactHub dataset · Qualifies
Full-year totals: 4,455 in 2022, 4,405 in 2023, 4,610 in 2024 and 4,594 in 2025. FactHub dataset · Qualifies
Chinatown-International District and Little Saigon box: 422 in 2025 and 665 in 2026 (up 58%), its most since at least 2015. Downtown box: 604 in 2024, 538 in 2025 and 528 in 2026. FactHub dataset · Qualifies
Per 1,000 residents: 4.73 in 2022, 4.47 in 2023, 4.52 in 2024, 4.54 in 2025 and 4.63 in 2026. Seattle had 762,500 people in 2022 and 823,400 in 2026. FactHub dataset · Contradicts
The data records the fire department's 911 dispatches, not confirmed fires, and is updated every five minutes. City of Seattle · Qualifies
In 2021 the fire department's encampment-fire totals included illegal burns such as cooking and warming fires. KOMO News · Qualifies
Counting each address once a day: 3,551 in 2022, 3,548 in 2024, 3,637 in 2025 and 3,731 in 2026. FactHub dataset
Illegal burn calls at addresses that had encampment fire calls in 2022 and 2023: 303 of 1,426 (21%) in 2022 and 373 of 2,394 (16%) in 2026. Of the 968 more illegal burn calls in 2026 than in 2022, 70 were at those addresses. Camps move, so this cannot show whether the other calls were at camps. FactHub dataset · Qualifies
Dumpster fire calls, January to October: 176 in 2020, 264 in 2021 and 266 in 2022. With them added, totals were 3,871 in 2022, 3,911 in 2024, 4,035 in 2025 and 4,135 in 2026. FactHub dataset

911 calls for illegal burns, rubbish fires and encampment fires, January to October of each year. The encampment fire call type began in August 2021. View source chart

2. City reports: confirmed fires at tents and RVs fell by about half The city's counts of fires the fire department confirmed at tent and RV encampments, from the Human Services Department's 2025 end-of-year and August 2026 reports to the City Council, set beside the dispatch calls

Fires the fire department confirmed at tents and RVs: 1,617 in 2022, 1,351 in 2023, 892 in 2024 and 830 in 2025. From January to June 2026 there were 377, 5% fewer than a year earlier. Calls for the three types stayed between 4,405 and 4,610 a year from 2022 to 2025.

Limit: The city doesn't publish how it decides a fire was at an encampment. The two counts use different rules and are not matched call by call. The reports come from the department that runs the city's encampment work, and its field staff say campers may avoid calling 911, so fewer reports may not mean safer camps.

Verify: UCT Quarterly Reporting (Response to Statement of Legislative Intent MO-004S-A), 2025 end-of-year report UCT Quarterly Reporting (Response to Statement of Legislative Intent MO-004S-A), August 14, 2026 911 calls compared with confirmed encampment fires, 2022 to 2025

Fires confirmed at tent and RV encampments: 1,617 in 2022, 1,351 in 2023, 892 in 2024 and 830 in 2025. City of Seattle Human Services Department · Contradicts
The city says encampment fires fell steadily as its encampment team worked, to half the 2022 number in 2025. City of Seattle Human Services Department · Contradicts
Encampment fires from January to June 2026 were 5% below the same months of 2025. City of Seattle Human Services Department · Contradicts
The city says warmer winter weather may have helped lower encampment fires in early 2026. City of Seattle Human Services Department · Qualifies
Confirmed encampment fires in the city's Southeast area rose 59% in the first half of 2026, from 91 to 145. City of Seattle Human Services Department · Qualifies
City field staff think fewer 911 calls from camps may not mean camps are safer, because campers may avoid calling. City of Seattle Human Services Department · Qualifies
The city's encampment fire figures are fires the fire department responded to at a tent or RV encampment. City of Seattle Human Services Department · Qualifies
Calls: 4,455 (2022), 4,405, 4,610 and 4,594 (2025). Confirmed fires at tents and RVs: 1,617, 1,351, 892 and 830. Confirmed fires equaled 36% of the calls in 2022 and 18% in 2025. FactHub dataset · Qualifies

Full-year calls for the three types beside fires the fire department confirmed at tents and RVs, 2022 to 2025. The two counts use different rules. View source chart

Common questions 7

“Fires the fire department confirmed at Seattle tent and RV encampments fell by about half from 2022 to 2025.”

Short answer: Yes

Yes: they fell from 1,617 in 2022 to 830 in 2025. From January to June 2026 they were 5% below a year earlier, and the city says warmer winter weather may have helped. Calls for trash and open fires did not fall with them; they stayed near 4,500 a year.

Fires confirmed at tent and RV encampments: 1,617 in 2022, 1,351 in 2023, 892 in 2024 and 830 in 2025. City of Seattle Human Services Department · Contradicts
Encampment fires from January to June 2026 were 5% below the same months of 2025. City of Seattle Human Services Department · Contradicts
The city says warmer winter weather may have helped lower encampment fires in early 2026. City of Seattle Human Services Department · Qualifies
Calls: 4,455 (2022), 4,405, 4,610 and 4,594 (2025). Confirmed fires at tents and RVs: 1,617, 1,351, 892 and 830. Confirmed fires equaled 36% of the calls in 2022 and 18% in 2025. FactHub dataset · Qualifies

See the evidence: City reports: confirmed fires at tents and RVs fell by about half

“911 calls for encampment fires have nearly vanished.”

Short answer: Yes, but others rose

Calls dispatched as encampment fires fell from 820 to 38 from January to October 2022 to the same months of 2026, while illegal burn calls rose from 1,426 to 2,394. The type has largely fallen out of use: in 2025 the city confirmed 830 camp fires, but only 163 calls from January to October used it. So most confirmed camp fires went out under other types. That is why we rate the three types together.

Encampment fire calls, January to October: 820 in 2022, 163 in 2025 and 38 in 2026. Illegal burn calls: 1,426 in 2022 and 2,394 in 2026. Rubbish fire calls: 1,359 and 1,377. Illegal burn and rubbish fire calls together: 3,771 in 2026, more than all three types in any earlier year. FactHub dataset · Qualifies
Fires confirmed at tent and RV encampments: 1,617 in 2022, 1,351 in 2023, 892 in 2024 and 830 in 2025. City of Seattle Human Services Department · Contradicts
Illegal burn calls at addresses that had encampment fire calls in 2022 and 2023: 303 of 1,426 (21%) in 2022 and 373 of 2,394 (16%) in 2026. Of the 968 more illegal burn calls in 2026 than in 2022, 70 were at those addresses. Camps move, so this cannot show whether the other calls were at camps. FactHub dataset · Qualifies

See the evidence: The fire department's dispatch log: a record for trash and open fire calls

“2026 is far above any earlier year.”

Short answer: No, slightly

No. January to October 2026 is 2.7% above 2025 and 5.7% above 2022 and 2024. Counting each address once a day, 2026 still leads, 3,731 to 3,637. Over full years, 2024 (4,610) and 2025 (4,594) were nearly tied. The big rise came from 2019 to 2022.

January to October totals: 635 in 2018, 1,672 in 2020, 2,711 in 2021, 3,605 in 2022, 3,480 in 2023, 3,605 in 2024, 3,708 in 2025 and 3,809 in 2026, the highest since 2004. The 2015 to 2018 average was 596. 2026 is 2.7% above 2025 and 5.7% above 2022. FactHub dataset
Full-year totals: 4,455 in 2022, 4,405 in 2023, 4,610 in 2024 and 4,594 in 2025. FactHub dataset · Qualifies
Counting each address once a day: 3,551 in 2022, 3,548 in 2024, 3,637 in 2025 and 3,731 in 2026. FactHub dataset

See the evidence: The fire department's dispatch log: a record for trash and open fire calls

“Downtown Seattle has more of these calls than ever.”

Short answer: No; a nearby area does

No. We drew rough boxes around two areas by latitude and longitude. The downtown box had 528 calls from January to October 2026, down from 604 in 2024. The box around the Chinatown-International District and Little Saigon had 665, up 58% from 2025 and its most since at least 2015. The city also reports that confirmed encampment fires in its Southeast area rose 59% in the first half of 2026.

Chinatown-International District and Little Saigon box: 422 in 2025 and 665 in 2026 (up 58%), its most since at least 2015. Downtown box: 604 in 2024, 538 in 2025 and 528 in 2026. FactHub dataset · Qualifies
Confirmed encampment fires in the city's Southeast area rose 59% in the first half of 2026, from 91 to 145. City of Seattle Human Services Department · Qualifies

See the evidence: The fire department's dispatch log: a record for trash and open fire calls

“Most of these calls are backyard burning, not street fires.”

Short answer: Unknown

The data can't say. The call type is what crews were sent for, not what they found, and illegal burns include cooking and warming fires. Confirmed fires at tents and RVs equaled 18% of these calls in 2025, but the two counts use different rules.

In 2021 the fire department's encampment-fire totals included illegal burns such as cooking and warming fires. KOMO News · Qualifies
Calls: 4,455 (2022), 4,405, 4,610 and 4,594 (2025). Confirmed fires at tents and RVs: 1,617, 1,351, 892 and 830. Confirmed fires equaled 36% of the calls in 2022 and 18% in 2025. FactHub dataset · Qualifies
The data records the fire department's 911 dispatches, not confirmed fires, and is updated every five minutes. City of Seattle · Qualifies

See the evidence: The fire department's dispatch log: a record for trash and open fire calls

“The 2019 to 2022 jump came from a change in how calls are labeled.”

Short answer: Partly possible

Partly possible. About a third of the rise came before the encampment fire type began in August 2021: calls went from 635 in January to October 2018 to 1,672 in 2020, then 2,711 in 2021 and 3,605 in 2022. The new type may have drawn in fires once sent under other types; dumpster fire calls still rose, from 176 to 266. Every year since 2022 used the same types, so the 2026 record compares like with like.

January to October totals: 635 in 2018, 1,672 in 2020, 2,711 in 2021, 3,605 in 2022, 3,480 in 2023, 3,605 in 2024, 3,708 in 2025 and 3,809 in 2026, the highest since 2004. The 2015 to 2018 average was 596. 2026 is 2.7% above 2025 and 5.7% above 2022. FactHub dataset
Encampment fire calls, January to October: 820 in 2022, 163 in 2025 and 38 in 2026. Illegal burn calls: 1,426 in 2022 and 2,394 in 2026. Rubbish fire calls: 1,359 and 1,377. Illegal burn and rubbish fire calls together: 3,771 in 2026, more than all three types in any earlier year. FactHub dataset · Qualifies
Dumpster fire calls, January to October: 176 in 2020, 264 in 2021 and 266 in 2022. With them added, totals were 3,871 in 2022, 3,911 in 2024, 4,035 in 2025 and 4,135 in 2026. FactHub dataset

See the evidence: The fire department's dispatch log: a record for trash and open fire calls

“2026 is also a record per resident.”

Short answer: No; 2022 was higher

No. Seattle grew from 762,500 people in 2022 to 823,400 in 2026, by state estimates. Per 1,000 residents, January to October calls were 4.73 in 2022, 4.54 in 2025 and 4.63 in 2026.

Per 1,000 residents: 4.73 in 2022, 4.47 in 2023, 4.52 in 2024, 4.54 in 2025 and 4.63 in 2026. Seattle had 762,500 people in 2022 and 823,400 in 2026. FactHub dataset · Contradicts
The state publishes April 1 population estimates for every Washington city, including Seattle, through 2026. Washington State Office of Financial Management · Qualifies

See the evidence: The fire department's dispatch log: a record for trash and open fire calls

Conclusion

The claim is true. From January to October 2026, the Seattle Fire Department was sent to 3,809 calls for illegal burns, rubbish fires and encampment fires. That is the most for those months in its dispatch records, which go back to late 2003. It is more than six times the 2015 to 2018 average of 596. Illegal burn and rubbish fire calls alone, 3,771, are also a record, and so is the total with dumpster fires added, 4,135.

The record is narrow, and it is a record of counts. 2026 is 2.7% above the same months of 2025 and 5.7% above 2022 and 2024. Seattle grew by about 61,000 people from 2022 to 2026, so per 1,000 residents, 2022 was higher: 4.73 calls against 4.63 in 2026. The big change came earlier: from 635 calls in January to October 2018 to 3,605 in 2022. Calls have stayed near that level since, and the small rise in 2026 came from illegal burn calls.

The calls did not fall when encampment fires did. The fires the department confirmed at tents and RVs fell from 1,617 in 2022 to 830 in 2025, and the city credits its encampment work. Calls dispatched as encampment fires fell from 820 to 38 over the same months, while illegal burn calls rose from 1,426 to 2,394. The encampment fire type has largely fallen out of use. In 2025 the department confirmed 830 fires at tents and RVs, but only 163 calls from January to October went out under that type. So most of the fires it confirmed at camps must have been dispatched under other types, such as illegal burns. Only 70 of the 968 added illegal burn calls since 2022 were at addresses that had encampment fire calls in 2022 and 2023. But camps move, so that doesn't show the fires are away from camps. From the calls alone, there is no way to tell which ones were at camps, or whether more people now call.

Where the calls rose matters too. In our box around the Chinatown-International District and Little Saigon, calls rose 58% in 2026, to 665. In our downtown box, they fell from 604 in 2024 to 528.

Our confidence is high because we counted the city's own dispatch log for every year since 2004, using the same months each year. It would be lower for any claim about confirmed fires, which these calls don't measure.

How we checked

We defined the claim as whether 911 calls the Seattle Fire Department dispatched as illegal burns, rubbish fires or encampment fires reached a record in 2026.
We counted these calls in the city's public dispatch data for January to October of every year from 2004 to 2026, so 2026 compares with the same months, and for full years from 2004 to 2025.
We divided January to October calls by the state's April 1 population estimates for Seattle to get calls per 1,000 residents.
We counted the same calls inside two latitude and longitude boxes, one around downtown and one around the Chinatown-International District and Little Saigon.
We listed every address with an encampment fire call in 2022 and 2023 and counted illegal burn calls at those addresses each year, to test whether the same places were being given a new label.
We compared the calls with the fire department's counts of fires confirmed at tent and RV encampments, from the Human Services Department's 2025 end-of-year and August 2026 reports to the City Council.
We used a 2021 news report on what the fire department's encampment-fire count includes. We looked for changes in call types in the data; the only one we found was the encampment fire type, first used in August 2021.
We added dumpster fire calls to check that the record holds with them; we did not check brush fires, the cause found on scene, or the city's fire investigation records.

Editorial note: This check covers 911 calls the Seattle Fire Department dispatched as illegal burns, rubbish fires or encampment fires, citywide, from 2004 through October 2026, and the city's published counts of fires confirmed at tent and RV encampments from 2022 to June 2026. It does not say who set the fires or why, and it does not rate the city's encampment policy. No external specialist review has been recorded.

Expert-review status

No external specialist review has been recorded.

Funding and conflicts

Funding: No external funding for this piece.

Ownership: Published by the FactHub Research Team.

Conflicts: None known.

Sources 14

Sources are labeled by kind, with what this fact check takes from each, so readers can check the evidence independently.

FactHub record FactHub dataset. 911 calls for the three types, January to October, 2004 to 2026
Saved analysis of yearly totals of illegal burn, rubbish fire and encampment fire calls, January to October.
- January to October totals: 635 in 2018, 1,672 in 2020, 2,711 in 2021, 3,605 in 2022, 3,480 in 2023, 3,605 in 2024, 3,708 in 2025 and 3,809 in 2026, the highest since 2004. The 2015 to 2018 average was 596. 2026 is 2.7% above 2025 and 5.7% above 2022.
  
  Not yet checked
FactHub record FactHub dataset. 911 calls by call type, January to October, 2004 to 2026
Saved analysis of calls by type and year, January to October.
- Qualifies: Encampment fire calls, January to October: 820 in 2022, 163 in 2025 and 38 in 2026. Illegal burn calls: 1,426 in 2022 and 2,394 in 2026. Rubbish fire calls: 1,359 and 1,377. Illegal burn and rubbish fire calls together: 3,771 in 2026, more than all three types in any earlier year.
  
  Not yet checked
FactHub record FactHub dataset. 911 calls for the three types, full years, 2004 to 2025
Saved analysis of full-year totals.
- Qualifies: Full-year totals: 4,455 in 2022, 4,405 in 2023, 4,610 in 2024 and 4,594 in 2025.
  
  Not yet checked
FactHub record FactHub dataset. 911 calls in two central areas, January to October, 2015 to 2026
Saved analysis of calls inside two latitude and longitude boxes.
- Qualifies: Chinatown-International District and Little Saigon box: 422 in 2025 and 665 in 2026 (up 58%), its most since at least 2015. Downtown box: 604 in 2024, 538 in 2025 and 528 in 2026.
  
  Not yet checked
FactHub record FactHub dataset. 911 calls compared with confirmed encampment fires, 2022 to 2025
Saved analysis setting full-year calls beside the city's counts of confirmed encampment fires.
- Qualifies: Calls: 4,455 (2022), 4,405, 4,610 and 4,594 (2025). Confirmed fires at tents and RVs: 1,617, 1,351, 892 and 830. Confirmed fires equaled 36% of the calls in 2022 and 18% in 2025.
  
  Not yet checked
FactHub record FactHub dataset. 911 calls per 1,000 Seattle residents, January to October, 2020 to 2026
Saved analysis dividing calls by state population estimates.
- Contradicts: Per 1,000 residents: 4.73 in 2022, 4.47 in 2023, 4.52 in 2024, 4.54 in 2025 and 4.63 in 2026. Seattle had 762,500 people in 2022 and 823,400 in 2026.
  
  Not yet checked
FactHub record FactHub dataset. Illegal burn calls at former encampment fire addresses, 2019 to 2026
Saved analysis counting illegal burn calls at the 1,215 addresses that had encampment fire calls in 2022 and 2023.
- Qualifies: Illegal burn calls at addresses that had encampment fire calls in 2022 and 2023: 303 of 1,426 (21%) in 2022 and 373 of 2,394 (16%) in 2026. Of the 968 more illegal burn calls in 2026 than in 2022, 70 were at those addresses. Camps move, so this cannot show whether the other calls were at camps.
  
  Not yet checked
FactHub record FactHub dataset. Calls counted once per address per day, January to October
Saved analysis removing repeat dispatches to the same address on the same day.
- Counting each address once a day: 3,551 in 2022, 3,548 in 2024, 3,637 in 2025 and 3,731 in 2026.
  
  Not yet checked
FactHub record FactHub dataset. Calls including dumpster fires, January to October, 2015 to 2026
Saved analysis adding dumpster fire calls to the three call types.
- Dumpster fire calls, January to October: 176 in 2020, 264 in 2021 and 266 in 2022. With them added, totals were 3,871 in 2022, 3,911 in 2024, 4,035 in 2025 and 4,135 in 2026.
  
  Not yet checked
Government Washington State Office of Financial Management. April 1 official population estimates of cities, towns and counties, 2020 to 2026
The state's yearly population estimates for each city; the Seattle row gives 762,500 people in 2022 and 823,400 in 2026, used for calls per 1,000 residents.

Reliability: The state agency whose city estimates are used to share out state revenue; 2020 is the census count.
- Qualifies: The state publishes April 1 population estimates for every Washington city, including Seattle, through 2026.
  
  What the source says
  
  April 1, 2026 Population of Cities, Towns and Counties
  Sheet title; Seattle row
  
  Not yet checked
Government City of Seattle. Seattle Real Time Fire 911 Calls
The city's open data feed of every Seattle Fire Department dispatch since November 2003, with call type, time and location; the source of all call counts here.

Reliability: The fire department's own dispatch log, updated every five minutes; each call type is what crews were sent for.
- Qualifies: The data records the fire department's 911 dispatches, not confirmed fires, and is updated every five minutes.
  
  What the source says
  
  Provides Seattle Fire Department 911 dispatches. Updated every 5 minutes.
  Dataset description
  
  Not yet checked
Government City of Seattle Human Services Department. UCT Quarterly Reporting (Response to Statement of Legislative Intent MO-004S-A), 2025 end-of-year report
The city's report to the City Council on its encampment outreach team for 2025, with fires the fire department verified at tent and RV encampments.

Reliability: Has a stake in this finding. Prepared by the department that runs the encampment outreach team, reporting its own results to the City Council, with fire figures from the fire department.
- Contradicts: Fires confirmed at tent and RV encampments: 1,617 in 2022, 1,351 in 2023, 892 in 2024 and 830 in 2025.
  
  What the source says
  
  The total number of verified encampment and RV fires in 2025 was 830, which is 7% lower than in 2024 (892 fires), 39% lower than in 2023 (1,351 fires), and 49% lower than 2022 (1,617 fires).
  Public safety section
  
  Not yet checked
- Contradicts: The city says encampment fires fell steadily as its encampment team worked, to half the 2022 number in 2025.
  
  What the source says
  
  The total number of encampment fires has steadily decreased since UCT has been active, and in 2025 there were half as many encampment fires as in 2022.
  Site cleaning section
  
  Not yet checked
Government City of Seattle Human Services Department. UCT Quarterly Reporting (Response to Statement of Legislative Intent MO-004S-A), August 14, 2026
The city's report to the City Council on its encampment outreach team for January to June 2026, with fires the fire department verified at tent and RV encampments.

Reliability: Has a stake in this finding. Prepared by the department that runs the encampment outreach team, reporting its own results to the City Council, with fire figures from the fire department.
- Contradicts: Encampment fires from January to June 2026 were 5% below the same months of 2025.
  
  What the source says
  
  Encampment fires are five percent lower in the first six months of 2026 compared to the first six months of 2025.
  Public safety section
  
  Not yet checked
- Qualifies: The city says warmer winter weather may have helped lower encampment fires in early 2026.
  
  What the source says
  
  Warmer weather in winter 2026 may have contributed to an overall decrease in encampment fires.
  Public safety section
  
  Not yet checked
- Qualifies: Confirmed encampment fires in the city's Southeast area rose 59% in the first half of 2026, from 91 to 145.
  
  What the source says
  
  There were 59 percent more encampment fires in Southeast in the first six months of 2026 than there were in 2025 (145 in 2026 compared to 91 in 2025).
  Public safety section
  
  Not yet checked
- Qualifies: City field staff think fewer 911 calls from camps may not mean camps are safer, because campers may avoid calling.
  
  What the source says
  
  UCT's field staff speculated that fewer calls to 911 (for emergency medical services, the fire department, or otherwise) may not correspond to a safer environment for campers.
  Public safety section, p. 21
  
  Not yet checked
- Qualifies: The city's encampment fire figures are fires the fire department responded to at a tent or RV encampment.
  
  What the source says
  
  Data provided by the SFD on the number of fires responded to at a tent or RV encampment.
  Figure 23, p. 22
  
  Not yet checked
News report KOMO News. No stop to surge in Seattle's homeless camp fires (September 24, 2021)
A 2021 news report on the fire department's count of encampment fires and what it includes.

Reliability: A local television news report quoting fire department figures; it does not publish the department's method.
- Qualifies: In 2021 the fire department's encampment-fire totals included illegal burns such as cooking and warming fires.
  
  What the source says
  
  Those totals also include illegal burns such as cooking and warming fires, which do not necessarily get out of control.
  Body text
  
  Not yet checked
FactHub dataset Seattle Fire Department 911 calls for illegal burns, rubbish fires and encampment fires, 2004 to 2026
- Tables: calls-by-type
  
  Saved analysis calls-janoct-total
- Tables: calls-by-type
  
  Saved analysis calls-per-1000-janoct
- Tables: calls-by-type, city-tally
  
  Saved analysis calls-vs-verified-full-year
- Tables: calls-by-type
  
  Saved analysis illegal-burn-at-encampment-addresses
- Tables: calls-by-type
  
  Saved analysis calls-janoct-with-dumpster
FactHub chart seattle-trash-open-fire-calls
FactHub chart seattle-fire-calls-vs-encampment-fires

Update history 7 changes, last November 10, 2026

November 10, 2026 Said calls have stayed near their 2022 level rather than never falling, since 2023 was lower (2516080098524256722-b5154b54f4056acd21711aebe5e73c18). Added a check showing most of the rise in illegal burn calls was not at former encampment fire addresses, and that 2026's small rise came from illegal burn calls. Showed that 2026 stays on top with repeat dispatches removed. Shortened the lead, summary, search title and two key points. Updated both charts: removed a note drawn as a line at 2023 and reworded what a call type records.
November 10, 2026 Said in the first key point that illegal burn and rubbish fire calls alone are also a record (2516079502612877575-482fd3f6d497530026ff1b6a2fd00a1a). Checked that adding dumpster fire calls keeps 2026 a record (2516079502616638308-43396509ba1d656895b2e8250308986c). Split two long sentences.
November 10, 2026 Said the encampment fire call type has largely fallen out of use, so camp fires at new sites may now be dispatched as illegal burns, and that the old-address check cannot rule that out; dropped the reading that burning has moved away from camps (2516079499829311903-3bf6a21ec863db398417a3589ec90777).
November 10, 2026 Corrected the call-type question: about a third of the 2018 to 2022 rise came before the encampment fire type began, not most; said the new type may have drawn in fires from other types, and that every year since 2022 used the same types (2516079497416456709-e2cd6520c6c52e863e5822b0dfc2de05).
November 10, 2026 Added 'so far in 2026' to the title and claim, since the data run through October (2516079496354460168-6584d801b401893150a1fbcce8c133bb).
November 10, 2026 Separated what the counts show (most fires confirmed at camps were dispatched under other types) from what they cannot show (which calls were at camps) (2516079495744176679-bcbdd92d1a5c46acdc852a4f18045d20).
November 9, 2026 First version.

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Version 7 First Look, 3 findings Skeptic, 4 findings

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{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ClaimReview","url":"https://facthub.org/n/article/seattle-911-trash-open-fire-calls-record","datePublished":"2026-11-10","dateModified":"2026-11-10","author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"FactHub","url":"https://facthub.org/"},"claimReviewed":"Seattle\u0027s 911 calls for trash fires and illegal open burning are at a record high so far in 2026","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","alternateName":"True"},"image":"https://facthub.org/node-assets-v2/article/seattle-911-trash-open-fire-calls-record/7/engine-10/social-1200x630.jpg"}

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Technical details: node handle article:seattle-911-trash-open-fire-calls-record:7

Are Seattle's 911 calls for trash and open fires at a record so far in 2026?

What might surprise you

More charts in this check

The short version

Key points

What the evidence establishes

The evidence

Common questions 7

“Fires the fire department confirmed at Seattle tent and RV encampments fell by about half from 2022 to 2025.”

“911 calls for encampment fires have nearly vanished.”

“2026 is far above any earlier year.”

“Downtown Seattle has more of these calls than ever.”

“Most of these calls are backyard burning, not street fires.”

“The 2019 to 2022 jump came from a change in how calls are labeled.”

“2026 is also a record per resident.”

Conclusion

How we checked

Expert-review status

Funding and conflicts

Sources 14

Update history 7 changes, last November 10, 2026

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Send feedback

What might surprise you

More charts in this check

The short version

Key points

What the evidence establishes

The evidence

Common questions 7

“Fires the fire department confirmed at Seattle tent and RV encampments fell by about half from 2022 to 2025.”

“911 calls for encampment fires have nearly vanished.”

“2026 is far above any earlier year.”

“Downtown Seattle has more of these calls than ever.”

“Most of these calls are backyard burning, not street fires.”

“The 2019 to 2022 jump came from a change in how calls are labeled.”

“2026 is also a record per resident.”

Conclusion

Related fact checks

How we checked

Expert-review status

Funding and conflicts

Sources 14

Update history 7 changes, last November 10, 2026

Feedback these versions applied

For developers: ClaimReview data

Challenge this fact-check