In 2025, fire departments serving Muskego responded to 77 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $20K 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 78% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
441 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $1.9M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 121 | — | |
| 2022 | 105 | -13.2% | |
| 2023 | 59 | -43.8% | |
| 2024 | 79 | +33.9% | |
| 2025 | 77 | -2.5% |
For the 19 building fires Muskego departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 57 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 | 18 | 31.6% | |
| 2 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 6 | 10.5% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 8.8% | |
| 4 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 4 | 7.0% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 7.0% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 4 | 7.0% | |
| 7 | Interior stairway or ramp | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 9 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 10 | Other | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 15.8% |
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 Muskego mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 37 | 64.9% | |
| 2 | Heat, spark from friction | 4 | 7.0% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 1.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Muskego departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $3,500 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $3,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $2,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $600 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Muskego sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,907 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 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 750 | 37.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 36.9 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 360 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 290 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 254 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 252 | 33.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 200 | 0.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 180 | 0.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 139 | 45.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 26.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Smoking | 81 | 47.9 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 Wisconsin cities with population within ±25% of Muskego. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Muskego.
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.