In 2025, fire departments serving Norwalk responded to 86 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $86K 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 45% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
361 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $817K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 54 | — | |
| 2022 | 66 | +22.2% | |
| 2023 | 71 | +7.6% | |
| 2024 | 84 | +18.3% | |
| 2025 | 86 | +2.4% |
For the 8 building fires Norwalk departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 70 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 | 10 | 14.3% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 8 | 11.4% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 7.1% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 5 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 5 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 4 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 5.7% | |
| 8 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 4 | 5.7% | |
| 9 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 19 | 27.1% |
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 Norwalk mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 22 | 31.4% | |
| 2 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 8 | 11.4% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 10.0% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 5 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 7.1% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 5.7% | |
| 8 | Fireworks | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 10 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 7 | 10.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Norwalk departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 98% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $85,600 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $60,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $45,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $40,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $12,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $10,000 | Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Norwalk sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 7,051 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,200 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 800 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 700 | 24.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 500 | 40.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 346 | 18.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 320 | 17.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 40.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 34.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 250 | 40.9 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 41.0 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 Iowa cities with population within ±25% of Norwalk. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
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.