In 2025, fire departments serving Adams responded to 33 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $15K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 82% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
188 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $405K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 30 | — | |
| 2022 | 27 | -10.0% | |
| 2023 | 58 | +114.8% | |
| 2024 | 40 | -31.0% | |
| 2025 | 33 | -17.5% |
For the 18 building fires Adams departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 46 building fires investigators classified across 2021–2025. The room or location where ignition occurred — kitchens, bedrooms, exterior, vehicle areas — tells you where to focus prevention.
| # | Area of origin | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Outside area, other | 9 | 19.6% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 10.9% | |
| 3 | Wildland, woods | 5 | 10.9% | |
| 4 | Other | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Fuel tank, fuel line | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 14 | 30.4% |
NFIRS Heat Source (HEAT_SOURC) — the physical thing that started it. Spark or ember from operating equipment, an open flame, smoking materials, or hot embers from a fireplace are the leading culprits nationwide. Here's the Adams mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 9 | 19.6% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 7 | 15.2% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 10.9% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 8.7% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 4 | 8.7% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 13.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Adams departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $7,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $30 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Adams sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 8,492 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 3,410 | 8.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 572 | 23.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 484 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 384 | 20.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 337 | 15.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 320 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 49.1 mi | |
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 300 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | 234 | 17.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 180 | 36.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 170 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2013 | Equipment and vehicle use | 170 | 38.3 mi |
Top 6 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Wisconsin cities with population within ±25% of Adams. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Adams.
A 30-minute weekend can cut your home's exposure substantially. These four checklists are a good starting point.
Numbers reflect incidents reported by participating fire departments to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) Public Data Release for calendar year 2025. NFIRS is voluntary — about 23,000 of roughly 30,000 US fire departments report — so totals are a strong indicator, not a complete census. Per-capita comparisons use 2023 ACS population estimates. Wildland fire data complements NFIRS with NIFC and USFS perimeters. Active-fire counts come from a dated NIFC snapshot, not a live feed.