In 2025, fire departments serving Cadott responded to 38 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $500K 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 74% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
247 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $2.3M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 74 | — | |
| 2022 | 48 | -35.1% | |
| 2023 | 45 | -6.2% | |
| 2024 | 42 | -6.7% | |
| 2025 | 38 | -9.5% |
For the 16 building fires Cadott departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 55 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 | 18.2% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 14.5% | |
| 3 | Other | 4 | 7.3% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 7.3% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 6 | Storage area, other | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Outside area, other | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 16 | 29.1% |
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 Cadott mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 26 | 47.3% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 5 | 9.1% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 4 | 7.3% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Radiated heat from another fire | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 3.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Cadott departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $35,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $6,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $6,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Cadott sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,760 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 553 | 17.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Fireworks | 390 | 30.4 mi | |
| 1998 | Recreation and ceremony | 250 | 18.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 148 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 124 | 27.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 122 | 25.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 113 | 24.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 104 | 25.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 89 | 39.2 mi | |
| 1993 | Arson/incendiarism | 75 | 29.3 mi | |
| 1994 | Equipment and vehicle use | 74 | 35.4 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 65 | 45.9 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 Cadott. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Cadott.
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.