In 2025, fire departments serving Steilacoom responded to 22 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $948K 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 55% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
105 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.8M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20 | — | |
| 2022 | 18 | -10.0% | |
| 2023 | 22 | +22.2% | |
| 2024 | 23 | +4.5% | |
| 2025 | 22 | -4.3% |
For the 3 building fires Steilacoom departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 28 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 | Undetermined | 5 | 17.9% | |
| 2 | Other | 3 | 10.7% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 10.7% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 6 | Function area, other | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Closet | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Shipping/receiving area; loading area, dock or bay | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 32.1% |
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 Steilacoom mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 10 | 35.7% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 4 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 10.7% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 7 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 8 | Arcing | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Incendiary device | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Candle | 1 | 3.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Steilacoom departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $947,584 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $29,821 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $12,837 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Steilacoom sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 12,709 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 3,312 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,243 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Fireworks | 1,100 | 40.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Natural | 817 | 44.7 mi | |
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 594 | 24.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 494 | 11.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Natural | 443 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 420 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 385 | 45.7 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 384 | 30.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Natural | 359 | 31.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Natural | 310 | 43.9 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 Washington cities with population within ±25% of Steilacoom. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Steilacoom.
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.