In 2025, fire departments serving Galesville responded to 33 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Aircraft standby lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 88% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
169 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 34 | — | |
| 2022 | 50 | +47.1% | |
| 2023 | 25 | -50.0% | |
| 2024 | 27 | +8.0% | |
| 2025 | 33 | +22.2% |
For the 8 building fires Galesville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 33 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 | 10 | 30.3% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 18.2% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 7 | Other | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 9.1% |
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 Galesville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 25 | 75.8% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 5 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 7 | Lightning | 1 | 3.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Galesville departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Galesville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,592 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,200 | 5.3 mi | |
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 553 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 360 | 10.9 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 295 | 31.0 mi | |
| 1998 | Recreation and ceremony | 250 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 195 | 25.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 166 | 39.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | 159 | 31.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 124 | 37.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 124 | 41.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 122 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 104 | 47.6 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 Galesville. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Galesville.
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.