In 2025, fire departments serving Topeka responded to 29 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $75K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Carbon monoxide incident lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 83% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
179 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $917K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35 | — | |
| 2022 | 50 | +42.9% | |
| 2023 | 39 | -22.0% | |
| 2024 | 26 | -33.3% | |
| 2025 | 29 | +11.5% |
For the 6 building fires Topeka departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 44 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 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 5 | 11.4% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 11.4% | |
| 3 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Machinery room or area; elevator machinery room | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 10 | Ceiling & floor assembly, crawl space b/t stories | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 13 | 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 Topeka mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 15 | 34.1% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 11.4% | |
| 3 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Chemical reaction | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 7 | Lightning | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 8 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 6.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Topeka departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $20,000 | Fire in portable building, fixed location | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $2,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Topeka sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 10 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 360 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 154 | 33.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 35 | 30.2 mi | |
| 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 25 | 40.5 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 22 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 15 | 20.5 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 12 | 20.4 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12 | 42.8 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 | 46571 | 179 |
Six Indiana cities with population within ±25% of Topeka. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Topeka.
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.