In 2025, fire departments serving South Milwaukee responded to 134 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $150K 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 69% of all calls.
May peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
572 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $612K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 89 | — | |
| 2022 | 104 | +16.9% | |
| 2023 | 146 | +40.4% | |
| 2024 | 99 | -32.2% | |
| 2025 | 134 | +35.4% |
For the 37 building fires South Milwaukee departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 63 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 | 11 | 17.5% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 9 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 12.7% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 7.9% | |
| 5 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Other | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Wall assembly | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 16 | 25.4% |
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 South Milwaukee mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 35 | 55.6% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 12.7% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 7.9% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 6.3% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 9 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 10 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 3.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by South Milwaukee departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. South Milwaukee sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,794 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 750 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 35.4 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 252 | 45.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 200 | 13.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 180 | 14.0 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 34.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 24.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 76 | 20.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 33.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 30.3 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 31.7 mi |
Top 10 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 South Milwaukee. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in South Milwaukee.
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.