In 2025, fire departments serving Hillsdale responded to 33 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $20K 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 70% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
133 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $90K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 23 | — | |
| 2022 | 31 | +34.8% | |
| 2023 | 23 | -25.8% | |
| 2024 | 23 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 33 | +43.5% |
For the 6 building fires Hillsdale 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 | Undetermined | 11 | 26.8% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 9.8% | |
| 3 | Other | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Ceiling & floor assembly, crawl space b/t stories | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Outside area, other | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 9 | Vacant structural area | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 10 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 19.5% |
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 Hillsdale mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 29 | 70.7% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Candle | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 4.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Hillsdale departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1 | Natural vegetation fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Hillsdale sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,626 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,475 | 24.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 360 | 43.7 mi | |
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 270 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 225 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 150 | 35.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 22.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 25.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 41.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 35.7 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 56 | 39.8 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 Missouri cities with population within ±25% of Hillsdale. 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.