Objective To study the characteristics of forest fire sources and provide reference for the development of emergency mechanisms for forest fire prevention and control measures for fire sources.

Method The study utilizes data from the first forest fire risk level and forest resource risk level survey in Quzhou City, forest fire data from Quzhou City from 1991 to 2020, forest fire statistics from Kaihua County for 2015–2022, and daily meteorological data from Kaihua County for 2015–2022. It analyzes the spatiotemporal characteristics of forest fire occurrences and the inter-day distribution characteristics of forest fires during consecutive days without rainfall.

Result The findings indicate that 82.1% of forest fires in Quzhou City are controllable. Forest fires occur most frequently in February, March, and April each year, accounting for 64.8% of all incidents. The high-incidence time period is between 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM daily, accounting for 64.4%. The regional distribution of forest fires correlates positively with the area's forest fire risk level and forest resource risk level. In Kaihua County, forest fires mostly occur between the 2nd and 7th days after rainfall, whereas fires are rarely observed during continuous sunny periods lasting more than half a month.

Conclusion It is recommended that government departments allocate fire prevention and suppression resources based on the historical regional distribution patterns of forest fires to maximize the performance of financial resources. During key time periods with high fire incidence, forest fire prevention personnel should strengthen fire prevention publicity and patrol supervision, strictly control outdoor fire sources, and prevent forest fires caused by negligence.