In 2025, fire departments serving Mediapolis responded to 30 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $23K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Grass fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 50% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
121 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $379K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 24 | — | |
| 2022 | 25 | +4.2% | |
| 2023 | 20 | -20.0% | |
| 2024 | 22 | +10.0% | |
| 2025 | 30 | +36.4% |
For the 2 building fires Mediapolis departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 39 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 | 8 | 20.5% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 6 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 20.5% |
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 Mediapolis mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 28.2% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 8 | 20.5% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Arcing | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 7.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Mediapolis departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $23,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Mediapolis sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 6,786 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,200 | 17.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 832 | 17.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 820 | 17.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 630 | 17.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 400 | 42.3 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 333 | 8.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 282 | 17.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 232 | 17.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 180 | 9.1 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 174 | 17.6 mi | |
| 2017 | Smoking | 150 | 41.2 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 52637 | 121 |
Six Iowa cities with population within ±25% of Mediapolis. 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.