In 2025, fire departments serving Coleman responded to 27 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K 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 78% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
92 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.5M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 18 | — | |
| 2022 | 16 | -11.1% | |
| 2023 | 14 | -12.5% | |
| 2024 | 17 | +21.4% | |
| 2025 | 27 | +58.8% |
For the 13 building fires Coleman departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 23 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 | 6 | 26.1% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 5 | 21.7% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Interior stairway or ramp | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Personal service area, barber/beauty salon area | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Incinerator area | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 13.0% |
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 Coleman mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 12 | 52.2% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 13.0% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 13.0% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 4.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Coleman departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $90,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $40,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $9,000 | Vehicle accident, general cleanup | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $3,500 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $2,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $2,000 | Chimney or flue fire, confined to chimney or flue | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Coleman sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,975 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 275 | 20.7 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 215 | 15.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 133 | 25.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 110 | 24.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 103 | 15.6 mi | |
| 1999 | Smoking | 100 | 47.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 94 | 40.5 mi | |
| 1998 | Debris and open burning | 88 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 26.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Other causes | 73 | 26.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Recreation and ceremony | 65 | 37.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 64 | 29.5 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 Coleman. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Coleman.
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.