In 2025, fire departments serving Independence responded to 17 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K 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 94% of all calls.
Dec peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
97 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.2M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 23 | — | |
| 2022 | 17 | -26.1% | |
| 2023 | 13 | -23.5% | |
| 2024 | 27 | +107.7% | |
| 2025 | 17 | -37.0% |
For the 10 building fires Independence departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 37 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 | 29.7% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 13.5% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 8.1% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 8.1% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 8.1% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 7 | Other | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Machinery room or area; elevator machinery room | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 16.2% |
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 Independence mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 15 | 40.5% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 7 | 18.9% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 10.8% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 8.1% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 8.1% | |
| 6 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 7 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Conducted heat from another fire | 1 | 2.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Independence departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $65,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Independence sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,757 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 | 12.6 mi | |
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 553 | 34.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Fireworks | 390 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 360 | 17.3 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 295 | 25.9 mi | |
| 1998 | Recreation and ceremony | 250 | 32.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 195 | 43.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | 159 | 33.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 124 | 23.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 122 | 23.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 104 | 36.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 93 | 38.6 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 54747 | 97 |
Six Wisconsin cities with population within ±25% of Independence. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Independence.
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.