In 2025, fire departments serving Park Falls responded to 19 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K 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 100% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
97 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.0M cumulative property loss. 3 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 18 | — | |
| 2022 | 17 | -5.6% | |
| 2023 | 24 | +41.2% | |
| 2024 | 19 | -20.8% | |
| 2025 | 19 | +0.0% |
For the 7 building fires Park Falls departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 21 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 | 4 | 19.0% | |
| 2 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 4 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 10 | Wall assembly | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 14.3% |
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 Park Falls mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 12 | 57.1% | |
| 2 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 3 | Lightning | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 4 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Radiated heat from another fire | 1 | 4.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Park Falls departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $110,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Park Falls sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,438 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,167 | 42.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 120 | 25.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 80 | 21.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 79 | 14.4 mi | |
| 1993 | Arson/incendiarism | 75 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 67 | 14.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 61 | 42.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 60 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 53 | 43.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 50 | 49.5 mi | |
| 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 47 | 20.6 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 Park Falls. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Park Falls.
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.