In 2025, fire departments serving Rainier responded to 32 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $600K 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 87% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
181 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.0M cumulative property loss. 3 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 24 | — | |
| 2022 | 43 | +79.2% | |
| 2023 | 43 | +0.0% | |
| 2024 | 39 | -9.3% | |
| 2025 | 32 | -17.9% |
For the 11 building fires Rainier departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 34 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 | 7 | 20.6% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 4 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Structural area, other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 8 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 9 | Other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Egress/exit, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 29.4% |
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 Rainier mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 17 | 50.0% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 5.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Rainier departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $600,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $20,000 | Forest, woods or wildland fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Rainier sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 5,079 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 594 | 33.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 494 | 27.0 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 384 | 15.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Natural | 359 | 21.1 mi | |
| 1995 | Debris and open burning | 290 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 280 | 37.0 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 275 | 24.0 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 268 | 17.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 229 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Recreation and ceremony | 193 | 41.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 185 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 175 | 21.7 mi |
Top 8 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 Rainier. 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.