In 2025, fire departments serving Elk Mound responded to 52 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $601K 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 81% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
225 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $5.3M cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 31 | — | |
| 2022 | 44 | +41.9% | |
| 2023 | 50 | +13.6% | |
| 2024 | 48 | -4.0% | |
| 2025 | 52 | +8.3% |
For the 22 building fires Elk Mound departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 65 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 | 22 | 33.8% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 10 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 6 | 9.2% | |
| 4 | Other | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Outside area, other | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 12.3% |
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 Elk Mound mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 35 | 53.8% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 10 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 10.8% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 10 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 1.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Elk Mound departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 97% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $601,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $500,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $500,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 4 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 5 | $300,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Major | Investigated |
| 6 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $50,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $50,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Elk Mound sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,289 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 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Fireworks | 390 | 3.8 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 295 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 260 | 46.7 mi | |
| 1998 | Recreation and ceremony | 250 | 35.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 148 | 18.4 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 140 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 124 | 16.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 123 | 39.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 122 | 17.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 104 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 83 | 40.6 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 Elk Mound. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Elk Mound.
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.