In 2025, fire departments serving Jackson responded to 56 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $350K 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 63% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
295 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 62 | — | |
| 2022 | 46 | -25.8% | |
| 2023 | 51 | +10.9% | |
| 2024 | 80 | +56.9% | |
| 2025 | 56 | -30.0% |
For the 12 building fires Jackson departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 57 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 | 20 | 35.1% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 6 | 10.5% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 4 | 7.0% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 6 | Switchgear area, transformer vault | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 7 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 8 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 10 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 13 | 22.8% |
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 Jackson mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 28.1% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 11 | 19.3% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 5 | 8.8% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 7.0% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 10 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 8.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Jackson departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $350,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $55,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $3,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Jackson sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 8,706 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,100 | 34.3 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,015 | 31.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 829 | 40.0 mi | |
| 1998 | Equipment and vehicle use | 630 | 40.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 612 | 35.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 508 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 364 | 29.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 360 | 24.9 mi | |
| 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | 325 | 28.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 290 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 280 | 27.1 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 Jackson. 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.