In 2025, fire departments serving Tipton responded to 47 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Grass fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 68% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
174 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $659K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 29 | — | |
| 2022 | 26 | -10.3% | |
| 2023 | 29 | +11.5% | |
| 2024 | 43 | +48.3% | |
| 2025 | 47 | +9.3% |
For the 6 building fires Tipton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 40 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 | 12 | 30.0% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 15.0% | |
| 3 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 3 | 7.5% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 3 | 7.5% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 5.0% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 5.0% | |
| 7 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 2.5% | |
| 8 | Egress/exit, other | 1 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 20.0% |
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 Tipton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 10 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 7 | 17.5% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Heat, spark from friction | 4 | 10.0% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 3 | 7.5% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 7.5% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 5.0% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 10.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Tipton departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Cultivated grain or crop fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $2,320 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Chimney or flue fire, confined to chimney or flue | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Tipton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 8,936 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 1,500 | 29.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,200 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 832 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 820 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 640 | 32.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 630 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 400 | 16.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 333 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 282 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 232 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 12.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 49.4 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 | 52772 | 174 |
Six Iowa cities with population within ±25% of Tipton. 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.