In 2025, fire departments serving Reedsburg responded to 33 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 64% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
199 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 43 | — | |
| 2022 | 31 | -27.9% | |
| 2023 | 47 | +51.6% | |
| 2024 | 45 | -4.3% | |
| 2025 | 33 | -26.7% |
For the 4 building fires Reedsburg departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 67 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 | 15 | 22.4% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 11.9% | |
| 3 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 5 | 7.5% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 6.0% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Structural area, other | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 20 | 29.9% |
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 Reedsburg mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 19 | 28.4% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 7 | 10.4% | |
| 3 | Cigarette | 7 | 10.4% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 10 | Heat source: other | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 14 | 20.9% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Reedsburg sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 9,539 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 3,410 | 38.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,400 | 27.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 572 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 484 | 40.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 384 | 38.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 337 | 34.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | 234 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 180 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2013 | Equipment and vehicle use | 170 | 47.8 mi | |
| 1992 | Equipment and vehicle use | 161 | 28.4 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 Reedsburg. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Reedsburg.
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.