In 2025, fire departments serving Neillsville responded to 21 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K 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 62% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
160 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $1.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 47 | — | |
| 2022 | 34 | -27.7% | |
| 2023 | 26 | -23.5% | |
| 2024 | 32 | +23.1% | |
| 2025 | 21 | -34.4% |
For the 6 building fires Neillsville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 83 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 | 14 | 16.9% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 11 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 10 | 12.0% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 8 | 9.6% | |
| 5 | Other | 5 | 6.0% | |
| 6 | Structural area, other | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 17 | 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 Neillsville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 31 | 37.3% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 12 | 14.5% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 10 | 12.0% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 9 | 10.8% | |
| 5 | Match | 7 | 8.4% | |
| 6 | Lightning | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Arcing | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 4.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Neillsville departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Neillsville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 5,529 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,200 | 49.4 mi | |
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 553 | 23.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 384 | 38.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 360 | 39.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 337 | 43.8 mi | |
| 1998 | Recreation and ceremony | 250 | 23.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | 234 | 41.2 mi | |
| 1996 | Smoking | 187 | 36.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 170 | 44.3 mi | |
| 1992 | Equipment and vehicle use | 161 | 49.0 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 160 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | 159 | 24.4 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 Neillsville. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Neillsville.
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.