In 2025, fire departments serving Beaver Dam responded to 12 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $2K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Trash or rubbish fire, contained lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 75% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
89 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $272K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21 | — | |
| 2022 | 14 | -33.3% | |
| 2023 | 26 | +85.7% | |
| 2024 | 16 | -38.5% | |
| 2025 | 12 | -25.0% |
For the 0 building fires Beaver Dam departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 30 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 | 10 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 20.0% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Other | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Ceiling & floor assembly, crawl space b/t stories | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 6.7% |
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 Beaver Dam mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 17 | 56.7% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 3 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Match | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Lightning | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 6.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Beaver Dam departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,800 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Beaver Dam sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,125,143 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Natural | 238,058 | 31.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 149,131 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 65,480 | 16.6 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 59,265 | 41.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 56,003 | 22.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Recreation and ceremony | 50,737 | 12.7 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 44,707 | 23.7 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 43,245 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 41,451 | 34.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Natural | 38,628 | 26.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 35,639 | 25.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 34,200 | 25.1 mi |
Top 3 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Arizona cities with population within ±25% of Beaver Dam. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
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.