In 2025, fire departments serving Viola responded to 34 fire and hazmat incidents . 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.
Apr peaks. Mar dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
95 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $184K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 12 | — | |
| 2022 | 17 | +41.7% | |
| 2023 | 13 | -23.5% | |
| 2024 | 19 | +46.2% | |
| 2025 | 34 | +78.9% |
For the 9 building fires Viola departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 36 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 | 8 | 22.2% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 7 | 19.4% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 16.7% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 6 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 7 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Machinery room or area; elevator machinery room | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 19.4% |
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 Viola mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 17 | 47.2% | |
| 2 | Cigarette | 4 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Match | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 8.3% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Viola sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,875 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,400 | 28.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 384 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 337 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 300 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | 234 | 47.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 195 | 33.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 189 | 29.3 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 166 | 30.4 mi | |
| 1992 | Equipment and vehicle use | 161 | 40.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 140 | 42.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 130 | 48.5 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 124 | 33.5 mi |
Top 5 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 Viola. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Viola.
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.