In 2025, fire departments serving Gillett responded to 42 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 62% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
197 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36 | — | |
| 2022 | 28 | -22.2% | |
| 2023 | 35 | +25.0% | |
| 2024 | 56 | +60.0% | |
| 2025 | 42 | -25.0% |
For the 6 building fires Gillett departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 39 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 | Wall surface: exterior | 5 | 12.8% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 12.8% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 5 | 12.8% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Exterior, exposed surface | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Outside area, other | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 9 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 28.2% |
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 Gillett mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 13 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 10.3% | |
| 3 | Heat, spark from friction | 4 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 5.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Gillett departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $80,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $12,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $8,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $4,000 | Fire in portable building, fixed location | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Gillett sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,299 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 366 | 47.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 275 | 33.8 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 215 | 21.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 133 | 10.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 110 | 26.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 103 | 24.5 mi | |
| 1999 | Smoking | 100 | 31.1 mi | |
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 94 | 36.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 9.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Other causes | 73 | 40.6 mi | |
| 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 68 | 48.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Recreation and ceremony | 65 | 20.3 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 Wisconsin cities with population within ±25% of Gillett. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Gillett.
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.