In 2025, fire departments serving Mukwonago responded to 122 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K 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 58% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
461 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.9M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 75 | — | |
| 2022 | 68 | -9.3% | |
| 2023 | 92 | +35.3% | |
| 2024 | 104 | +13.0% | |
| 2025 | 122 | +17.3% |
For the 43 building fires Mukwonago departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 67 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 | 10 | 14.9% | |
| 2 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 9 | 13.4% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 7 | 10.4% | |
| 4 | Other | 4 | 6.0% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 6.0% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Undetermined | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 19 | 28.4% |
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 Mukwonago mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 24 | 35.8% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 10.4% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 7 | 10.4% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 5 | 7.5% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 6.0% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 4 | 6.0% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 7 | 10.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Mukwonago departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $10,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $4,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Mukwonago sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 5,812 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,100 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 750 | 41.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 364 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 360 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 290 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 280 | 47.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 254 | 31.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 252 | 24.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 250 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 200 | 10.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 180 | 9.8 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 Mukwonago. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Mukwonago.
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.