In 2025, fire departments serving Tomah responded to 117 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $193K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Vehicle accident, general cleanup lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 75% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
565 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $2.3M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 103 | — | |
| 2022 | 102 | -1.0% | |
| 2023 | 119 | +16.7% | |
| 2024 | 124 | +4.2% | |
| 2025 | 117 | -5.6% |
For the 1 building fires Tomah departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 97 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 | 28 | 28.9% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 16 | 16.5% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 10 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Wall assembly | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 5 | Wall surface: exterior | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Other | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - 5+ persons; including barrack/dormitory | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 21 | 21.6% |
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 Tomah mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 46 | 47.4% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 24 | 24.7% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 5.2% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 5.2% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 8 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 1.0% | |
| 9 | Molten, hot material | 1 | 1.0% | |
| 10 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 1.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 5.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Tomah departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $193,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $150,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $2,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Tomah sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 8,102 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 3,410 | 37.1 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,200 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 384 | 16.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 360 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 337 | 19.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | 234 | 19.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 195 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 170 | 44.2 mi | |
| 1992 | Equipment and vehicle use | 161 | 19.2 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 160 | 37.5 mi | |
| 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | 159 | 21.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 140 | 37.2 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 Wisconsin cities with population within ±25% of Tomah. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Tomah.
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.