In 2025, fire departments serving Peshtigo responded to 81 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Hazardous condition, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 69% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
306 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.1M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 80 | — | |
| 2022 | 45 | -43.8% | |
| 2023 | 56 | +24.4% | |
| 2024 | 44 | -21.4% | |
| 2025 | 81 | +84.1% |
For the 14 building fires Peshtigo departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 58 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 | 11 | 19.0% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 6.9% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 6.9% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 4 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 3 | 5.2% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 5.2% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Fuel tank, fuel line | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Separate operator/control area of transportation | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Exterior, exposed surface | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 21 | 36.2% |
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 Peshtigo mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 27 | 46.6% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 8.6% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 5 | 8.6% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Lightning | 4 | 6.9% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Molten, hot material | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 5.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Peshtigo departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $80,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $25,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $4,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Peshtigo sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,855 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 275 | 7.6 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 215 | 13.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 133 | 38.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 110 | 36.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 103 | 27.2 mi | |
| 1998 | Debris and open burning | 88 | 31.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 38.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Other causes | 73 | 30.9 mi | |
| 1999 | Recreation and ceremony | 65 | 47.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 64 | 42.9 mi | |
| 1994 | Debris and open burning | 58 | 28.7 mi | |
| 1995 | Debris and open burning | 54 | 47.4 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 Peshtigo. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Peshtigo.
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.