In 2025, fire departments serving Sioux Center responded to 40 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 65% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
154 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.9M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21 | — | |
| 2022 | 34 | +61.9% | |
| 2023 | 24 | -29.4% | |
| 2024 | 35 | +45.8% | |
| 2025 | 40 | +14.3% |
For the 14 building fires Sioux Center departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 65 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 19 | 29.2% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 10 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 6 | 9.2% | |
| 4 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 5 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Conveyor | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 16.9% |
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 Sioux Center mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 18 | 27.7% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 17 | 26.2% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 7 | 10.8% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 5 | Chemical reaction | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 8 | 12.3% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Sioux Center sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 9,629 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 17.1 mi | |
| 2000 | Smoking | 1,500 | 43.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 1,400 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 34.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 350 | 12.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 300 | 20.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 250 | 25.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 214 | 11.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 26.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 18.1 mi | |
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 48.2 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 51250 | 154 |
Six Iowa cities with population within ±25% of Sioux Center. 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.