In 2025, fire departments serving Keshena responded to 44 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200 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 79% of all calls.
May peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
201 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $5K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28 | — | |
| 2022 | 33 | +17.9% | |
| 2023 | 38 | +15.2% | |
| 2024 | 58 | +52.6% | |
| 2025 | 44 | -24.1% |
For the 0 building fires Keshena departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 17 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 | 9 | 52.9% | |
| 2 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 17.6% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 1 | 5.9% |
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 Keshena mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 7 | 41.2% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 17.6% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 11.8% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 5.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Keshena departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200 | Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Keshena sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,269 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Arson/incendiarism | 385 | 47.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 366 | 43.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 320 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 320 | 47.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 275 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 215 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 133 | 6.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 110 | 28.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 103 | 31.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Smoking | 100 | 28.3 mi | |
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 94 | 30.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | 88 | 39.4 mi |
Top 3 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 Keshena. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Keshena.
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.