In 2025, fire departments serving Plattsmouth responded to 79 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $500K 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 54% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
358 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $2.2M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48 | — | |
| 2022 | 61 | +27.1% | |
| 2023 | 54 | -11.5% | |
| 2024 | 116 | +114.8% | |
| 2025 | 79 | -31.9% |
For the 11 building fires Plattsmouth departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 68 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 | 13 | 19.1% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 12 | 17.6% | |
| 3 | Other | 9 | 13.2% | |
| 4 | Exterior, exposed surface | 6 | 8.8% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 7.4% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 5 | 7.4% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 5.9% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Ceiling & floor assembly, crawl space b/t stories | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 11.8% |
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 Plattsmouth mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 23 | 33.8% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 11 | 16.2% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 5.9% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Cigarette | 3 | 4.4% | |
| 6 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 3 | 4.4% | |
| 7 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 4.4% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Arcing | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 11 | 16.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Plattsmouth departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 98% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $350,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $67,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $15,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Plattsmouth sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 12,537 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,000 | 36.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 2,000 | 29.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 715 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 5.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 443 | 22.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 300 | 14.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Equipment and vehicle use | 280 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 260 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 250 | 29.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 240 | 43.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Smoking | 220 | 38.0 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 68048 | 358 |
Six Nebraska cities with population within ±25% of Plattsmouth. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Plattsmouth.
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.