In 2025, fire departments serving Marion responded to 32 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $18K 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 63% of all calls.
May peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
153 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.6M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 26 | — | |
| 2022 | 22 | -15.4% | |
| 2023 | 31 | +40.9% | |
| 2024 | 42 | +35.5% | |
| 2025 | 32 | -23.8% |
For the 9 building fires Marion departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 33 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 27.3% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 5 | 15.2% | |
| 3 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 4 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Wall assembly | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Conveyor | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 24.2% |
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 Marion mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 13 | 39.4% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 4 | 12.1% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Chemical, natural heat source, other | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 6.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Marion departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $18,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $200 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Marion sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,293 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2019 | Arson/incendiarism | 385 | 34.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 366 | 32.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 320 | 30.0 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 320 | 34.3 mi | |
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 300 | 40.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 275 | 35.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 262 | 39.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 170 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 160 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 133 | 25.8 mi | |
| 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 123 | 41.5 mi |
Top 5 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 Marion. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Marion.
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.