In 2025, fire departments serving Richfield responded to 39 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $300K 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 72% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
180 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36 | — | |
| 2022 | 22 | -38.9% | |
| 2023 | 33 | +50.0% | |
| 2024 | 50 | +51.5% | |
| 2025 | 39 | -22.0% |
For the 15 building fires Richfield departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 57 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 | 17 | 29.8% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 10 | 17.5% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 7.0% | |
| 4 | Storage area, other | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Other | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 9 | Outside area, other | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 10 | Assembly area - less than 100 persons | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 17.5% |
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 Richfield mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 30 | 52.6% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 12.3% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 7.0% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 7.0% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 1.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Richfield departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $300,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $80,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $22,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $6,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Richfield sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 8,706 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 | 30.2 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,015 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 829 | 41.8 mi | |
| 1998 | Equipment and vehicle use | 630 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 612 | 36.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 508 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 364 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 360 | 24.9 mi | |
| 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | 325 | 29.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 45.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 290 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 280 | 27.5 mi |
Top 6 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 Richfield. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Richfield.
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.