In 2025, fire departments serving Lyons responded to 38 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $75K 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 71% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
265 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.7M cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 44 | — | |
| 2022 | 58 | +31.8% | |
| 2023 | 73 | +25.9% | |
| 2024 | 52 | -28.8% | |
| 2025 | 38 | -26.9% |
For the 1 building fires Lyons departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 79 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 | 14 | 17.7% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 11 | 13.9% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 9 | 11.4% | |
| 4 | Other | 6 | 7.6% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 6 | 7.6% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 20 | 25.3% |
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 Lyons mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 25 | 31.6% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 13 | 16.5% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 11 | 13.9% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 9 | 11.4% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 4 | 5.1% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Backfire from internal combustion engine | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 3 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 6.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Lyons departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $75,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $70,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $30,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $15,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $200 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $50 | Trash or rubbish fire, contained | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Lyons sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 143,811 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 28,000 | 44.2 mi | |
| 1994 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 16,000 | 15.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 14,000 | 33.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 8,800 | 34.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 8,000 | 15.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,400 | 47.8 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 6,000 | 17.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,350 | 47.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,000 | 17.9 mi | |
| 1994 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,960 | 15.2 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,945 | 33.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,840 | 49.2 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 Kansas cities with population within ±25% of Lyons. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Lyons.
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.