In 2025, fire departments serving Ellsworth responded to 33 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $400K 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 73% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
129 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.3M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 23 | — | |
| 2022 | 18 | -21.7% | |
| 2023 | 28 | +55.6% | |
| 2024 | 27 | -3.6% | |
| 2025 | 33 | +22.2% |
For the 9 building fires Ellsworth departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 46 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 | 11 | 23.9% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 10 | 21.7% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 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 Ellsworth mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 23 | 50.0% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 7 | 15.2% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Fireworks | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Backfire from internal combustion engine | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 6.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Ellsworth departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $7,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Water vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Ellsworth sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 6,828 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,550 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,000 | 37.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Fireworks | 390 | 36.3 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 295 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 260 | 21.5 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 45.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 217 | 46.2 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 35.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 180 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 148 | 30.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 123 | 29.4 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 Ellsworth. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Ellsworth.
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.