In 2025, fire departments serving Union Grove responded to 57 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $8K 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 75% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
267 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $744K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 71 | — | |
| 2022 | 41 | -42.3% | |
| 2023 | 48 | +17.1% | |
| 2024 | 50 | +4.2% | |
| 2025 | 57 | +14.0% |
For the 21 building fires Union Grove departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 70 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 9 | 12.9% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 8 | 11.4% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 4 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Wall assembly | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 25 | 35.7% |
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 Union Grove mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 25 | 35.7% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 9 | 12.9% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 6 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 5 | 7.1% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 5.7% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 5.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Union Grove departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $3,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Union Grove sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,030 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 | 23.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 22.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 254 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 252 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 200 | 14.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 180 | 13.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 7.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 24.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 76 | 13.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 20.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 22.3 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 Union Grove. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Union Grove.
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.