In 2025, fire departments serving Keaau responded to 72 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $263K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 72% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
454 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $3.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 92 | — | |
| 2022 | 91 | -1.1% | |
| 2023 | 108 | +18.7% | |
| 2024 | 91 | -15.7% | |
| 2025 | 72 | -20.9% |
For the 2 building fires Keaau departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 115 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 | 52 | 45.2% | |
| 2 | Other | 13 | 11.3% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 7.8% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 5.2% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Outside area, other | 5 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 13 | 11.3% |
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 Keaau mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 80 | 69.6% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 17 | 14.8% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 7 | Candle | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 8 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 0.9% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 0.9% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 1 | 0.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 3.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Keaau departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $262,500 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $144,375 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Keaau sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 107,981 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25,000 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 18,000 | 46.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10,000 | 46.9 mi | |
| 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,500 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Natural | 4,930 | 23.8 mi | |
| 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,700 | 17.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 3,572 | 21.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 3,407 | 19.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,800 | 24.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,800 | 46.9 mi | |
| 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,400 | 8.9 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,300 | 47.2 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 Hawaii cities with population within ±25% of Keaau. 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.