In 2025, fire departments serving Waimanalo responded to 81 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $535K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 59% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
376 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $3.6M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 84 | — | |
| 2022 | 65 | -22.6% | |
| 2023 | 72 | +10.8% | |
| 2024 | 74 | +2.8% | |
| 2025 | 81 | +9.5% |
For the 5 building fires Waimanalo departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 44 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 | 10 | 22.7% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 13.6% | |
| 3 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Exterior, exposed surface | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 7 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Outside area, other | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 10 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 15.9% |
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 Waimanalo mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 24 | 54.5% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Fireworks | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Waimanalo departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $535,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $429,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $4,822 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Waimanalo sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 53,707 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12,453 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,800 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,000 | 27.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,820 | 31.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,800 | 25.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,100 | 28.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,700 | 28.9 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,700 | 28.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,507 | 26.5 mi | |
| 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 35.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,235 | 29.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 35.8 mi |
Top 2 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Hawaii cities with population within ±25% of Waimanalo. 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.