In 2025, fire departments serving Beloit responded to 21 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $2K 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 62% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
152 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $109K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36 | — | |
| 2022 | 19 | -47.2% | |
| 2023 | 54 | +184.2% | |
| 2024 | 22 | -59.3% | |
| 2025 | 21 | -4.5% |
For the 4 building fires Beloit departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 28 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 | 13 | 46.4% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 10.7% | |
| 3 | Other | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 1 | 3.6% |
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 Beloit mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 14 | 50.0% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 3 | 10.7% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 4 | Lightning | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Warning or road flare; fusee | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 3.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Beloit departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,500 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $800 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Beloit sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 930 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 175 | 25.3 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 106 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 78 | 12.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 25.0 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 48 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 35 | 15.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 31 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 17.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 30.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 27.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 29 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 25 | 47.4 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 Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Beloit. 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.