Senators Warn Federal Firefighting Budget Nearly Exhausted With Fire Season Not Over
Five senators told Interior and USDA the $6 billion FY2026 fire suppression budget was nearly spent by Sept. 2, citing staffing gaps and firefighter deaths.
In 2025, fire departments serving Keenesburg responded to 27 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $15K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 74% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
186 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $175K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 42 | — | |
| 2022 | 46 | +9.5% | |
| 2023 | 42 | -8.7% | |
| 2024 | 29 | -31.0% | |
| 2025 | 27 | -6.9% |
For the 1 building fires Keenesburg departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 83 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 26 | 31.3% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 11 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 11 | 13.3% | |
| 4 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 10 | 12.0% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 6 | 7.2% | |
| 6 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 7.2% |
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 Keenesburg mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 40 | 48.2% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 6 | 7.2% | |
| 3 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 6 | 7.2% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Arcing | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 10 | 12.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Keenesburg departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Keenesburg sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 83,915 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12,699 | 18.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 10,599 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10,106 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 6,382 | 45.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,200 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2002 | Equipment and vehicle use | 4,348 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,200 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3,869 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 3,713 | 20.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,008 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 33.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 34.7 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 | 80643 | 186 |
Six Colorado cities with population within ±25% of Keenesburg. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Keenesburg.
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.