In 2025, fire departments serving Turtle Lake responded to 12 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $25K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 75% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
64 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $751K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 19 | — | |
| 2022 | 11 | -42.1% | |
| 2023 | 10 | -9.1% | |
| 2024 | 12 | +20.0% | |
| 2025 | 12 | +0.0% |
For the 0 building fires Turtle Lake departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 29 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 | 7 | 24.1% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 20.7% | |
| 3 | Other | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Vacant structural area | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Storage area, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 6.9% |
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 Turtle Lake mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 37.9% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 5 | 17.2% | |
| 3 | Backfire from internal combustion engine | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Fireworks | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 6.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Turtle Lake departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $25,000 | Cultivated grain or crop fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Turtle Lake sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,990 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 1,350 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 656 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Fireworks | 390 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 260 | 33.9 mi | |
| 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | 248 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 170 | 38.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 160 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 153 | 33.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 148 | 27.0 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 140 | 6.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 132 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 123 | 20.2 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 | 54889 | 64 |
Six Wisconsin cities with population within ±25% of Turtle Lake. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Turtle Lake.
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.