911 fire calls by call type and year

What this dataset measures

Built for a fact check of whether Seattle's 911 calls for trash and open fires are at a record. These are the three call types a 2021 news report said the fire department's encampment-fire count draws on (illegal burns, rubbish fires and encampment fires). January to October is used so 2026 can be compared with the same months of earlier years. The city's verified encampment-fire counts are included so readers can compare calls with fires confirmed at tents and RVs.

Geography

Seattle, Washington

Unit of observation

Count of dispatched incidents by year and call type (and by area), plus the city's published counts of encampment fires by period

Update cadence

One-time release; the dispatch log updates about every five minutes and can be revised

Curator

FactHub Research Team

Curated data tables

911 fire calls by call type and year

One row per year, period (January-October or Full year) and call type.

Unit of observation: Year, period and call type

seattle-fire-calls-by-type.csv text/csv · 6.6 KB (6,755 bytes)

The first 100 of 135 rows 5 columns Download the full file

The first 100 of 135 rows

year	period	call_type	dispatch_type	calls incidents
2004	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	324
2004	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	160
2004	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2005	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	322
2005	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	150
2005	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2006	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	297
2006	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	225
2006	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2007	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	303
2007	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	198
2007	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2008	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	311
2008	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	197
2008	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2009	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	360
2009	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	187
2009	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2010	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	330
2010	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	128
2010	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2011	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	292
2011	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	145
2011	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2012	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	431
2012	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	134
2012	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2013	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	383
2013	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	159
2013	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2014	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	407
2014	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	156
2014	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2015	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	384
2015	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	230
2015	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2016	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	366
2016	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	233
2016	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2017	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	325
2017	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	210
2017	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2018	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	391
2018	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	244
2018	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2019	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	756
2019	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	255
2019	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2020	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	1179
2020	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	493
2020	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2021	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	1345
2021	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	992
2021	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	374
2022	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	1426
2022	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	1359
2022	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	820
2023	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	1531
2023	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	1242
2023	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	707
2024	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	1740
2024	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	1520
2024	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	345
2025	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	2160
2025	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	1385
2025	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	163
2026	January-October	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	2394
2026	January-October	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	1377
2026	January-October	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	38
2004	Full year	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	350
2004	Full year	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	188
2004	Full year	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2005	Full year	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	355
2005	Full year	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	177
2005	Full year	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2006	Full year	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	326
2006	Full year	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	243
2006	Full year	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2007	Full year	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	331
2007	Full year	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	218
2007	Full year	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2008	Full year	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	342
2008	Full year	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	206
2008	Full year	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2009	Full year	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	397
2009	Full year	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	201
2009	Full year	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2010	Full year	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	367
2010	Full year	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	143
2010	Full year	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2011	Full year	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	338
2011	Full year	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	168
2011	Full year	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2012	Full year	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	456
2012	Full year	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	147
2012	Full year	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2013	Full year	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	432
2013	Full year	Rubbish fire	Rubbish Fire	178
2013	Full year	Encampment fire	Encampment Fire	0
2014	Full year	Illegal burn	Illegal Burn	450

5 field definitions

Field	Type	Meaning	Units	Value type
year	integer	Calendar year of the dispatch.	—	observed
period	string	January-October (January 1 to October 31) or Full year.	—	derived
call_type	string	Plain-language call type.	—	derived
dispatch_type	string	The call type exactly as the dispatch log records it.	—	observed
calls	integer	Incidents dispatched with that call type in that year and period, citywide. 0 means none were dispatched; the Encampment Fire type was first used on August 6, 2021.	incidents	observed

Sources

1. City of Seattle open data portal, Seattle Real Time Fire 911 Calls (dataset kzjm-xkqj), published by the Seattle Fire Department Every incident the Seattle Fire Department dispatched since November 2003, with its dispatch call type, time and location; counted here through its public API (https://data.seattle.gov/resource/kzjm-xkqj.json)

   Retrieved November 9, 2026. Public domain (City of Seattle open data). Public open data; FactHub publishes only yearly counts it computed.

   Reliability: Government. The fire department's own dispatch log, updated about every five minutes. The call type comes from what the caller reported when the unit was sent, not the cause found on scene.

2. Office of the Mayor, City of Seattle: One Seattle Homelessness Action Plan posts Q4 data updates (January 27, 2023) Fires at tent and RV encampments in 2022

   Retrieved November 9, 2026. Public government document. Linked; FactHub repeats only the figures it read.

   Reliability: Government. Has a stake in this finding. The mayor's office reporting results of its own homelessness plan, using Seattle Fire Department data. It counts fires at tent and RV encampments, a later judgment separate from the dispatch call type.

3. Office of the Mayor, City of Seattle: One Seattle Homelessness Action Plan posts Q4 and year-end 2023 data (February 17, 2024) Fires at tent and RV encampments in 2023

   Retrieved November 9, 2026. Public government document. Linked; FactHub repeats only the figures it read.

   Reliability: Government. Has a stake in this finding. The mayor's office reporting results of its own homelessness plan, using Seattle Fire Department data. It counts fires at tent and RV encampments, a later judgment separate from the dispatch call type.

4. Office of the Mayor, City of Seattle: One Seattle Homelessness Action Plan posts Q1 2024 data updates (May 17, 2024) Fires at tent and RV encampments, January to March 2024

   Retrieved November 9, 2026. Public government document. Linked; FactHub repeats only the figures it read.

   Reliability: Government. Has a stake in this finding. The mayor's office reporting results of its own homelessness plan, using Seattle Fire Department data. It counts fires at tent and RV encampments, a later judgment separate from the dispatch call type.

5. Office of the Mayor, City of Seattle: One Seattle Homelessness Action Plan posts Q3 2024 data updates (December 3, 2024) Fires at tent and RV encampments, April to June and July to September 2024

   Retrieved November 9, 2026. Public government document. Linked; FactHub repeats only the figures it read.

   Reliability: Government. Has a stake in this finding. The mayor's office reporting results of its own homelessness plan, using Seattle Fire Department data. It counts fires at tent and RV encampments, a later judgment separate from the dispatch call type.

6. City of Seattle Human Services Department, UCT Quarterly Reporting (Response to Statement of Legislative Intent MO-004S-A), 2025 end-of-year report Verified encampment and RV fires in 2024 and 2025, and by quarter in 2025 (Figure 23)

   Retrieved November 9, 2026. Public government document. Linked; FactHub repeats only the figures it read.

   Reliability: Government. Has a stake in this finding. The Human Services Department's quarterly report to the City Council on its encampment outreach team, with fires the Seattle Fire Department verified at tent or RV encampments. It reports the results of the city's own encampment work.

7. City of Seattle Human Services Department, UCT Quarterly Reporting (Response to Statement of Legislative Intent MO-004S-A), August 14, 2026 Verified encampment and RV fires, January to June 2026 (Figure 23)

   Retrieved November 9, 2026. Public government document. Linked; FactHub repeats only the figures it read.

   Reliability: Government. Has a stake in this finding. The Human Services Department's quarterly report to the City Council on its encampment outreach team, with fires the Seattle Fire Department verified at tent or RV encampments. It reports the results of the city's own encampment work.

8. Washington State Office of Financial Management, April 1 official population estimates of cities, towns and counties (ofm_april1_population_final.xlsx) Seattle population on April 1 of each year, 2020 (census) to 2026

   Retrieved November 9, 2026. Public government data. Linked; FactHub repeats only the Seattle figures it read.

   Reliability: Government. The state agency whose yearly city estimates are used to share out state revenue; 2020 is the census count.

License: FactHub's selection, cleaning and combined tables are licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source data keeps the terms listed above (terms).

Limitations and reproducibility

Reproducible from public sources: Counted on November 9, 2026 with the city's Socrata API at https://data.seattle.gov/resource/kzjm-xkqj.json: $select=date_extract_y(datetime) as yr,type,count(*) as n, $where=datetime >= '2004-01-01T00:00:00' AND datetime < '2026-11-01T00:00:00' AND date_extract_m(datetime) <= 10 AND type in('Illegal Burn','Rubbish Fire','Encampment Fire'), $group=yr,type. Full years drop the month filter and end at 2026-01-01. Area counts add the latitude and longitude bounds given for each box. The city's verified encampment-fire counts were copied from the documents listed in each row (Figure 23 of each Human Services Department report).

• Dispatch call types come from what the caller reported, not the cause found on scene, so a call is not a confirmed fire or a confirmed encampment fire.
• Illegal burns include cooking, warming and backyard fires.
• The Encampment Fire call type began on August 6, 2021; before then such fires were dispatched under other types.
• Other outdoor fire types (brush, bark, dumpster) are not counted here.
• Area boxes are approximations of neighborhoods.
• The city's counts of verified encampment fires use the fire department's own judgment of which fires were at a tent or RV; they are a different measure from dispatch calls.
• The dispatch log can be revised; all counts were made on November 9, 2026.