In 2025, fire departments serving Hillsboro responded to 42 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Grass fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 57% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
157 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $3.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 31 | — | |
| 2022 | 28 | -9.7% | |
| 2023 | 19 | -32.1% | |
| 2024 | 37 | +94.7% | |
| 2025 | 42 | +13.5% |
For the 4 building fires Hillsboro departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 41 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 17.1% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 14.6% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 4 | 9.8% | |
| 4 | Other | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 5 | Roof surface: exterior | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 7 | Fuel tank, fuel line | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Interior stairway or ramp | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 24.4% |
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 Hillsboro mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 11 | 26.8% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 7 | 17.1% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 9.8% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Lightning | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Match | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 14.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Hillsboro departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 95% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $30,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $16,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Vehicle accident, general cleanup | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $7,500 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Hillsboro sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 8,210 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 3,410 | 40.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,400 | 31.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 384 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 337 | 27.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | 234 | 30.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 195 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 189 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 180 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 166 | 48.3 mi | |
| 1992 | Equipment and vehicle use | 161 | 22.1 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 160 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | 159 | 44.9 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 Hillsboro. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Hillsboro.
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.