In 2025, fire departments serving Carson City responded to 37 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 68% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
172 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $576K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 32 | — | |
| 2022 | 38 | +18.8% | |
| 2023 | 36 | -5.3% | |
| 2024 | 29 | -19.4% | |
| 2025 | 37 | +27.6% |
For the 2 building fires Carson City departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 45 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 14 | 31.1% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 17.8% | |
| 3 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 5 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 7 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 8 | Exterior, exposed surface | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 9 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 15.6% |
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 Carson City mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 24.4% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 6 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 6 | 13.3% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 8.9% | |
| 5 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Conducted heat from another fire | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 9 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 8.9% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Carson City sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,166 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 191 | 7.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 162 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 155 | 42.8 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 150 | 24.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Equipment and vehicle use | 119 | 41.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 105 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 105 | 45.3 mi | |
| 1994 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 26.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 96 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 92 | 27.9 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 70 | 47.0 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 48811 | 172 |
Six Michigan cities with population within ±25% of Carson City. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Carson City.
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.