In 2025, fire departments serving Madison responded to 55 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $10K 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 73% of all calls.
Sep peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
296 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.6M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 37 | — | |
| 2022 | 90 | +143.2% | |
| 2023 | 75 | -16.7% | |
| 2024 | 39 | -48.0% | |
| 2025 | 55 | +41.0% |
For the 27 building fires Madison departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 121 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 | 24 | 19.8% | |
| 2 | Exterior, exposed surface | 17 | 14.0% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 13 | 10.7% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 10 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Other | 5 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 4 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 34 | 28.1% |
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 Madison mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 65 | 53.7% | |
| 2 | Radiated heat from another fire | 17 | 14.0% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 7 | 5.8% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 4.1% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Match | 5 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 4 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Arcing | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 9 | Fireworks | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 0.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 8 | 6.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Madison departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $9,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,100 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $1 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $1 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Madison sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,093 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,475 | 27.5 mi | |
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 270 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 225 | 37.6 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 150 | 37.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 24.6 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 23.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 37.0 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 49.9 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 56 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 40.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 48.8 mi |
Top 6 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Illinois cities with population within ±25% of Madison. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Madison.
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.