In 2025, fire departments serving La Farge responded to 30 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $1.0M building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 80% of all calls.
Feb peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
133 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.7M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20 | — | |
| 2022 | 28 | +40.0% | |
| 2023 | 24 | -14.3% | |
| 2024 | 31 | +29.2% | |
| 2025 | 30 | -3.2% |
For the 13 building fires La Farge departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 48 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 | 12 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 12 | 25.0% | |
| 3 | Maintenance shop or area, paint shop or area | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Exterior, exposed surface | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 18.8% |
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 Farge mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 20 | 41.7% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 9 | 18.8% | |
| 3 | Match | 5 | 10.4% | |
| 4 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Arcing | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 6.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by La Farge departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $12,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $2,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Power line down | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. La Farge sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 5,005 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,400 | 31.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 384 | 40.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 360 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 337 | 40.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | 234 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 195 | 33.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 189 | 34.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 166 | 32.5 mi | |
| 1992 | Equipment and vehicle use | 161 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | 159 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 140 | 39.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 124 | 35.2 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 La Farge. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in La Farge.
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.