In 2025, fire departments serving Quilcene responded to 39 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 57% of all calls.
Apr peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
185 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $360K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 41 | — | |
| 2022 | 35 | -14.6% | |
| 2023 | 41 | +17.1% | |
| 2024 | 29 | -29.3% | |
| 2025 | 39 | +34.5% |
For the 4 building fires Quilcene 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 | 13 | 25.5% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 6 | 11.8% | |
| 3 | Other | 5 | 9.8% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 7.8% | |
| 5 | Function area, other | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Roof surface: exterior | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 10 | Laboratory | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 19.6% |
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 Quilcene mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 18 | 35.3% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 9.8% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 10 | Radiated heat from another fire | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 11.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Quilcene departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $300 | Natural vegetation fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Quilcene sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 17,040 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 3,312 | 20.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Natural | 2,815 | 42.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 2,475 | 24.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,243 | 13.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Fireworks | 1,100 | 29.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 825 | 27.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Natural | 820 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Natural | 817 | 16.4 mi | |
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 594 | 38.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Natural | 443 | 13.1 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 400 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 385 | 23.8 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 Washington cities with population within ±25% of Quilcene. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
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.