In 2025, fire departments serving Elkader responded to 11 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $35K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Grass fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 100% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
47 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $430K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10 | — | |
| 2022 | 9 | -10.0% | |
| 2023 | 9 | +0.0% | |
| 2024 | 8 | -11.1% | |
| 2025 | 11 | +37.5% |
For the 1 building fires Elkader departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 22 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 | 13 | 59.1% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 3 | 13.6% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Function area, other | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Undetermined | 1 | 4.5% |
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 Elkader mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 18.2% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 4 | 18.2% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 13.6% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 13.6% | |
| 5 | Match | 3 | 13.6% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 2 | 9.1% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Molten, hot material | 1 | 4.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Elkader departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $35,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Elkader sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,713 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 300 | 31.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 300 | 30.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 189 | 31.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 166 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 165 | 22.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 140 | 20.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 124 | 47.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 120 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 33.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 33.4 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 85 | 28.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 47.4 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 | 52043 | 47 |
Six Iowa cities with population within ±25% of Elkader. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
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.