In 2025, fire departments serving Galena responded to 27 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $800 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 89% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
162 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $14K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 24 | — | |
| 2022 | 35 | +45.8% | |
| 2023 | 41 | +17.1% | |
| 2024 | 35 | -14.6% | |
| 2025 | 27 | -22.9% |
For the 14 building fires Galena departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 87 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 | Undetermined | 32 | 36.8% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 12 | 13.8% | |
| 3 | Wildland, woods | 9 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Equipment or service area, other | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Wall assembly | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 15 | 17.2% |
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 Galena mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 52 | 59.8% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 4 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Match | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 12 | 13.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Galena departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $800 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $1 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Galena sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 24,659 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,471 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,121 | 28.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,101 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,732 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,625 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,212 | 30.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,178 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,034 | 35.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,016 | 23.3 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 889 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 772 | 48.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 733 | 32.8 mi |
Top 4 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Missouri cities with population within ±25% of Galena. 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.