Maryland wildfires surged in 2025, arson burned most acres

Baltimore residents may not see the flames, but a jump in Maryland wildfire damage last year can still wash over the city as smoke, park disruptions and higher suppression costs. The Maryland Forest Service said 172 wildland fires burned 8,167 acres in 2025, a steep increase from 164 fires and about 953 acres in 2024.

The agency’s 2025 Annual Wildland Fire Report covers 3.2 million acres overseen by the Maryland Forest Service and shows a year that ran well above recent norms. Compared with the five-year average, Maryland had 13% more wildfires and 126% more acres burned. March was the busiest month, with wildfire activity doubling the five-year average, a spike state fire supervisor Chris Robertson linked to exceptionally warm conditions and an unusually warm, dry winter pattern.

The biggest driver of damage was not the most common spark. Debris burning remained the leading cause, with 74 wildfires and about 152 acres burned, but arson accounted for the most acres lost in 2025. Just 19 arson fires burned 6,612 acres, mainly in Dorchester County during February and March. That was fewer arson cases than in 2024, when the state recorded 33 arson fires, but dry conditions made this year’s damage far worse.

For Baltimore City, that matters beyond the county line. More acres burning elsewhere in Maryland can mean more smoke days over neighborhoods, more strain on state firefighting resources, and more pressure on park managers watching the region’s wooded edges, watershed land and trail systems. It also raises the stakes for utilities and insurers if wildfire risk continues to climb in the state’s more vulnerable rural and suburban areas.

State officials are again urging residents to avoid burning yard waste and to compost it instead. They also say campfires and backyard fires need to be fully extinguished, and homes should be protected with Firewise steps such as clearing flammable material away from structures, using fire-resistant materials when possible and keeping a 30-foot cleared buffer around houses.

The forest service is also leaning harder on prevention. In 2025, the agency and its partners conducted 150 prescribed burns covering about 7,417 acres. Maryland averages more than 5,000 outdoor-type fires a year, but most are small and occur in central urban areas. The Forest Service’s 10-year average is about 200 wildfires burning 2,200 acres annually, a reminder that a bad spring can quickly change the numbers and the risk profile for the whole state, including Baltimore.