In 2025, fire departments serving Elkhart Lake responded to 49 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 84% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Mar dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
183 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 43 | — | |
| 2022 | 31 | -27.9% | |
| 2023 | 30 | -3.2% | |
| 2024 | 30 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 49 | +63.3% |
For the 28 building fires Elkhart Lake 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 | 4 | 17.4% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 13.0% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 3 | 13.0% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 13.0% | |
| 5 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Function area, other | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 17.4% |
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 Elkhart Lake mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 15 | 65.2% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 17.4% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 4.3% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Elkhart Lake sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 8,270 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,015 | 38.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 829 | 38.1 mi | |
| 1998 | Equipment and vehicle use | 630 | 37.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 612 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 508 | 24.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2019 | Arson/incendiarism | 385 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 366 | 41.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 364 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 360 | 39.2 mi | |
| 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | 325 | 34.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 320 | 44.5 mi |
Top 3 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 Elkhart Lake. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Elkhart Lake.
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.