In 2025, fire departments serving Randolph responded to 29 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K 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 90% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
128 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $763K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21 | — | |
| 2022 | 18 | -14.3% | |
| 2023 | 36 | +100.0% | |
| 2024 | 24 | -33.3% | |
| 2025 | 29 | +20.8% |
For the 10 building fires Randolph departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 21 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 | 6 | 28.6% | |
| 2 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 4 | 19.0% | |
| 3 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 5 | Storage area, other | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Structural area, other | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 14.3% |
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 Randolph mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 10 | 47.6% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Chemical, natural heat source, other | 1 | 4.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Randolph departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $60,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Randolph sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 10,917 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,100 | 21.8 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,015 | 15.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 829 | 17.0 mi | |
| 1998 | Equipment and vehicle use | 630 | 17.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 612 | 11.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 572 | 34.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 508 | 30.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 32.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 484 | 9.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 39.5 mi | |
| 2019 | Arson/incendiarism | 385 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 364 | 15.7 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 Randolph. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Randolph.
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.