In 2025, fire departments serving Fredonia responded to 47 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K 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 74% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
163 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36 | — | |
| 2022 | 20 | -44.4% | |
| 2023 | 29 | +45.0% | |
| 2024 | 31 | +6.9% | |
| 2025 | 47 | +51.6% |
For the 19 building fires Fredonia departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 31 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 | 5 | 16.1% | |
| 2 | Other | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Conduit, pipe, utility, or ventilation shaft | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Structural area, other | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 19.4% |
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 Fredonia mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 8 | 25.8% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 16.1% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 9.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Fredonia departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Fredonia sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 7,796 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,100 | 47.4 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,015 | 37.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 829 | 43.8 mi | |
| 1998 | Equipment and vehicle use | 630 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 612 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 508 | 34.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 364 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 360 | 33.6 mi | |
| 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | 325 | 33.7 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 280 | 34.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 250 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 200 | 41.8 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 | 53021 | 163 |
Six Wisconsin cities with population within ±25% of Fredonia. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Fredonia.
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.