In 2025, fire departments serving Sturtevant responded to 90 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $180K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Cooking fire, confined to container lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 55% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Mar dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
365 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $932K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 74 | — | |
| 2022 | 73 | -1.4% | |
| 2023 | 53 | -27.4% | |
| 2024 | 75 | +41.5% | |
| 2025 | 90 | +20.0% |
For the 7 building fires Sturtevant departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 95 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 | 22 | 23.2% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 8 | 8.4% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 8 | 8.4% | |
| 4 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 6 | 6.3% | |
| 5 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 5 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Wall surface: exterior | 4 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Equipment or service area, other | 3 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 28 | 29.5% |
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 Sturtevant mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 30 | 31.6% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 10 | 10.5% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 10 | 10.5% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 8 | 8.4% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 7.4% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 5 | 5.3% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 10 | 10.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Sturtevant departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $179,800 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $8,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Trash or rubbish fire, contained | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $300 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Sturtevant sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,765 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 | 21.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 21.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 252 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 200 | 17.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 180 | 16.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 14.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 28.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 76 | 19.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 27.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 29.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 17.5 mi |
Top 3 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 Sturtevant. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Sturtevant.
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.