In 2025, fire departments serving Baxter Springs responded to 76 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $60K 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 59% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
500 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 77 | — | |
| 2022 | 155 | +101.3% | |
| 2023 | 79 | -49.0% | |
| 2024 | 113 | +43.0% | |
| 2025 | 76 | -32.7% |
For the 13 building fires Baxter Springs departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 135 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 | Undetermined | 22 | 16.3% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 15 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 14 | 10.4% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 13 | 9.6% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 8 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 7 | 5.2% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 6 | 4.4% | |
| 8 | Wall surface: exterior | 6 | 4.4% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 5 | 3.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 34 | 25.2% |
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 Baxter Springs mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 46 | 34.1% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 19 | 14.1% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 10 | 7.4% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 8 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Radiated heat from another fire | 8 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 7 | 5.2% | |
| 7 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 7 | 5.2% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 4 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 3 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 18 | 13.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Baxter Springs departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $60,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $40,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $25,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $3,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $500 | Arcing, shorted electrical equipment | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Baxter Springs sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 22,883 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,580 | 22.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,376 | 38.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 1,300 | 20.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,200 | 42.4 mi | |
| 1994 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,010 | 47.2 mi | |
| 1994 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 48.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 903 | 8.7 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 876 | 8.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 850 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 840 | 46.9 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 800 | 42.7 mi |
Top 2 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Kansas cities with population within ±25% of Baxter Springs. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Baxter Springs.
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.