In 2025, fire departments serving Tracy responded to 21 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $20K 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 76% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
88 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $266K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 14 | — | |
| 2022 | 16 | +14.3% | |
| 2023 | 24 | +50.0% | |
| 2024 | 13 | -45.8% | |
| 2025 | 21 | +61.5% |
For the 6 building fires Tracy departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 17 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 | 6 | 35.3% | |
| 2 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 17.6% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 8 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 9 | Vacant structural area | 1 | 5.9% |
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 Tracy mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 8 | 47.1% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 17.6% | |
| 3 | Candle | 2 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 1 | 5.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Tracy departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $8,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5 | Rail vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Tracy sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,953 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 200 | 23.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 160 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 152 | 46.9 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 127 | 38.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 123 | 22.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 108 | 36.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 96 | 37.4 mi | |
| 1994 | Debris and open burning | 95 | 24.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 81 | 17.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 79 | 46.4 mi | |
| 1993 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 36.1 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 | 56175 | 88 |
Six Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Tracy. 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.