In 2025, fire departments serving Falls City responded to 22 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $80K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Arcing, shorted electrical equipment lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 73% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
78 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $863K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 16 | — | |
| 2022 | 16 | +0.0% | |
| 2023 | 10 | -37.5% | |
| 2024 | 14 | +40.0% | |
| 2025 | 22 | +57.1% |
For the 2 building fires Falls City departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 34 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 | Outside area, other | 10 | 29.4% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 5 | 14.7% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 5 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 6 | Egress/exit, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 11.8% |
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 Falls City mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 32.4% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 7 | 20.6% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 14.7% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Fireworks | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Match | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Candle | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Falls City departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Arcing, shorted electrical equipment | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1,000 | Arcing, shorted electrical equipment | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $100 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $100 | Arcing, shorted electrical equipment | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Falls City sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 10,040 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 20.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,020 | 6.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 940 | 24.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 667 | 49.1 mi | |
| 1995 | Debris and open burning | 600 | 18.5 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | 476 | 18.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 420 | 30.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 43.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 43.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 300 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 275 | 46.7 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 | 68355 | 78 |
Six Nebraska cities with population within ±25% of Falls City. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Falls City.
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.