In 2025, fire departments serving Black River Falls responded to 69 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $300K 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 55% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
380 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $3.9M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 80 | — | |
| 2022 | 72 | -10.0% | |
| 2023 | 91 | +26.4% | |
| 2024 | 68 | -25.3% | |
| 2025 | 69 | +1.5% |
For the 18 building fires Black River Falls departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 223 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 | 60 | 26.9% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 27 | 12.1% | |
| 3 | Wildland, woods | 18 | 8.1% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 17 | 7.6% | |
| 5 | Other | 12 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 10 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 9 | 4.0% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 7 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 6 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 4 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 53 | 23.8% |
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 Black River Falls mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 140 | 62.8% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 12 | 5.4% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 11 | 4.9% | |
| 4 | Heat, spark from friction | 8 | 3.6% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 8 | 3.6% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 6 | 2.7% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 5 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 1.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 21 | 9.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Black River Falls departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 79% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $300,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $175,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $100,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Black River Falls sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 5,116 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,200 | 29.9 mi | |
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 553 | 30.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 384 | 35.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 360 | 18.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 337 | 40.5 mi | |
| 1998 | Recreation and ceremony | 250 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | 234 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 195 | 45.3 mi | |
| 1992 | Equipment and vehicle use | 161 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | 159 | 6.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 124 | 42.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 122 | 40.9 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 Wisconsin cities with population within ±25% of Black River Falls. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Black River Falls.
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.