In 2025, fire departments serving Clay Center responded to 87 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $75K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Aircraft standby lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 77% of all calls.
Aug peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
478 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $2.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 112 | — | |
| 2022 | 105 | -6.2% | |
| 2023 | 100 | -4.8% | |
| 2024 | 74 | -26.0% | |
| 2025 | 87 | +17.6% |
For the 11 building fires Clay Center departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 94 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 | 33 | 35.1% | |
| 2 | Other | 8 | 8.5% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 8.5% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 8 | 8.5% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 5 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 4 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 3 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Exterior, exposed surface | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 19 | 20.2% |
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 Clay Center mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 49 | 52.1% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 7.4% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 6.4% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 5 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 5 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 4 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Lightning | 4 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Fireworks | 3 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Chemical reaction | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 6.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Clay Center departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $600 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Clay Center sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 83,870 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 8,000 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,000 | 38.1 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,500 | 25.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,289 | 23.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,278 | 20.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,000 | 33.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,800 | 20.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,000 | 28.1 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,500 | 17.3 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 22.8 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 25.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,490 | 18.9 mi |
Top 4 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Kansas cities with population within ±25% of Clay Center. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Clay Center.
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.