In 2025, fire departments serving Potosi responded to 25 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 72% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
95 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $225K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 15 | — | |
| 2022 | 14 | -6.7% | |
| 2023 | 21 | +50.0% | |
| 2024 | 20 | -4.8% | |
| 2025 | 25 | +25.0% |
For the 6 building fires Potosi departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 27 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 | Outside area, other | 5 | 18.5% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Other | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 6 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 7 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 9 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 18.5% |
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 Potosi mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat source: other | 8 | 29.6% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 22.2% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 3 | 11.1% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 6 | Lightning | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Undetermined | 1 | 3.7% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Potosi sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,478 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,400 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 33.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 189 | 30.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 165 | 15.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 130 | 36.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 125 | 35.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 100 | 25.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 46.0 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 78 | 45.8 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 Potosi. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Potosi.
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.