In 2025, fire departments serving Twin Lakes responded to 64 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $300K 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 80% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
280 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $825K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 62 | — | |
| 2022 | 38 | -38.7% | |
| 2023 | 63 | +65.8% | |
| 2024 | 53 | -15.9% | |
| 2025 | 64 | +20.8% |
For the 17 building fires Twin Lakes 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 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 5 | 17.2% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Storage area, other | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 7 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 8 | Assembly area without fixed seats - 100+ persons | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 13.8% |
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 Twin Lakes mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 18 | 62.1% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 3 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Match | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 1 | 3.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Twin Lakes departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $300,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Twin Lakes sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,105 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 750 | 24.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 22.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 254 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 252 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 200 | 25.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 180 | 25.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 9.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 11.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 76 | 20.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 36.0 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 15.9 mi |
Top 3 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 Twin Lakes. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Twin Lakes.
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.