In 2025, fire departments serving New Auburn responded to 22 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K 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 82% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
104 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $805K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 30 | — | |
| 2022 | 14 | -53.3% | |
| 2023 | 19 | +35.7% | |
| 2024 | 19 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 22 | +15.8% |
For the 4 building fires New Auburn departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 34 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 | 23.5% | |
| 2 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 14.7% | |
| 3 | Multiple areas | 4 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Structural area, other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 20.6% |
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 New Auburn mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 20.6% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 7 | 20.6% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 7 | 20.6% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 1 | 2.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by New Auburn departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $40,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $30,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. New Auburn sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,752 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 553 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Fireworks | 390 | 25.1 mi | |
| 1998 | Recreation and ceremony | 250 | 43.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 148 | 24.9 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 140 | 33.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 124 | 36.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 123 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 122 | 37.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 113 | 43.4 mi | |
| 1993 | Arson/incendiarism | 75 | 26.8 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 69 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 60 | 30.2 mi |
Top 2 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 New Auburn. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in New Auburn.
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.