In 2025, fire departments serving Caledonia responded to 44 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 64% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
191 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.1M cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 41 | — | |
| 2022 | 28 | -31.7% | |
| 2023 | 26 | -7.1% | |
| 2024 | 52 | +100.0% | |
| 2025 | 44 | -15.4% |
For the 13 building fires Caledonia departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 78 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 35 | 44.9% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 11 | 14.1% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 7 | 9.0% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 5 | Exterior, exposed surface | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Undetermined | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Swimming pool | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 11.5% |
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 Caledonia mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 22 | 28.2% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 22 | 28.2% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 10 | 12.8% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 5.1% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 5.1% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Arcing | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 5.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Caledonia departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $3,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $499 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Caledonia sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,765 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 750 | 27.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 27.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 252 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 200 | 14.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 180 | 14.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 39.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 18.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 35.2 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 76 | 18.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 29.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 29.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 24.0 mi |
Top 5 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 Caledonia. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Caledonia.
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.