In 2025, fire departments serving New Richmond responded to 71 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $35K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 79% of all calls.
Oct peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
308 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 62 | — | |
| 2022 | 61 | -1.6% | |
| 2023 | 62 | +1.6% | |
| 2024 | 52 | -16.1% | |
| 2025 | 71 | +36.5% |
For the 16 building fires New Richmond departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 41 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 | 24.4% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 4 | 9.8% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 4 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Outside area, other | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 26.8% |
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 New Richmond mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 26.8% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 19.5% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 14.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by New Richmond departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $35,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $20,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $500 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. New Richmond sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 16,627 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 8,513 | 31.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,550 | 30.2 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,000 | 39.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Smoking | 420 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Fireworks | 390 | 42.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 336 | 37.9 mi | |
| 1999 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 306 | 38.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 260 | 7.5 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 32.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | 248 | 30.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 217 | 32.5 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 42.0 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 Richmond. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in New Richmond.
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.