In 2025, fire departments serving Phillips responded to 40 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 68% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
165 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 25 | — | |
| 2022 | 30 | +20.0% | |
| 2023 | 33 | +10.0% | |
| 2024 | 37 | +12.1% | |
| 2025 | 40 | +8.1% |
For the 8 building fires Phillips departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 51 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 | 25 | 49.0% | |
| 2 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 4 | 7.8% | |
| 3 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 4 | Other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | Outside area, other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 15.7% |
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 Phillips mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 34 | 66.7% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 9.8% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.0% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Phillips sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,398 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 120 | 42.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 113 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 82 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 80 | 26.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 79 | 23.5 mi | |
| 1993 | Arson/incendiarism | 75 | 39.5 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 67 | 24.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 60 | 46.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 34.5 mi | |
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 53 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 48 | 47.2 mi | |
| 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 47 | 16.0 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 Phillips. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Phillips.
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.