In 2025, fire departments serving Kansas responded to 24 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $235K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Carbon monoxide incident lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 58% of all calls.
Sep peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
76 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $2.9M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10 | — | |
| 2022 | 11 | +10.0% | |
| 2023 | 16 | +45.5% | |
| 2024 | 15 | -6.2% | |
| 2025 | 24 | +60.0% |
For the 3 building fires Kansas departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 20 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 | 7 | 35.0% | |
| 2 | Other | 2 | 10.0% | |
| 3 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 2 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 10.0% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 6 | Storage area, other | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 7 | Conduit, pipe, utility, or ventilation shaft | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 8 | Conveyor | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 9 | Maintenance shop or area, paint shop or area | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 10 | Wall assembly | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 1 | 5.0% |
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 Kansas mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 13 | 65.0% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 8 | Lightning | 1 | 5.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Kansas departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $235,200 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $235,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $60,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Kansas sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 21 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 781 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 27.4 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 27.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 38.2 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 50 | 38.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 24.6 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 35 | 38.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 43.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 | 49.9 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 | 46.4 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 Illinois cities with population within ±25% of Kansas. 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.