In 2025, fire departments serving La Center responded to 52 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $300K 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 60% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
221 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $1.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52 | — | |
| 2022 | 41 | -21.2% | |
| 2023 | 49 | +19.5% | |
| 2024 | 27 | -44.9% | |
| 2025 | 52 | +92.6% |
For the 3 building fires La Center departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 59 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 | 18 | 30.5% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 12 | 20.3% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 11 | 18.6% | |
| 4 | Other | 6 | 10.2% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 5.1% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Egress/exit, other | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 5.1% |
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 La Center mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 34 | 57.6% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 5 | 8.5% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 8.5% | |
| 4 | Match | 3 | 5.1% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 9 | Arcing | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 6.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by La Center departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $300,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $500 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $200 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $200 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $50 | Natural vegetation fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. La Center sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 114,667 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Fireworks | 48,488 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 24,995 | 33.8 mi | |
| 1992 | Smoking | 24,400 | 38.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 7,500 | 21.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,584 | 46.0 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,508 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 40.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 497 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 483 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 373 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 370 | 42.9 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 Washington cities with population within ±25% of La Center. 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.