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In 2025, fire departments serving Walden responded to 37 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $85K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Authorized controlled burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 62% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
136 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $412K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 19 | — | |
| 2022 | 27 | +42.1% | |
| 2023 | 29 | +7.4% | |
| 2024 | 24 | -17.2% | |
| 2025 | 37 | +54.2% |
For the 1 building fires Walden 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 | Wildland, woods | 22 | 31.4% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 14 | 20.0% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 9 | 12.9% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Other | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Structural area, other | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 7.1% |
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 Walden mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lightning | 15 | 21.4% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 11 | 15.7% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 11 | 15.7% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 9 | 12.9% | |
| 5 | Match | 7 | 10.0% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Molten, hot material | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 5.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Walden departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $85,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $200 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Walden sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 873,924 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 208,913 | 22.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | 193,812 | 36.6 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 176,878 | 31.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 87,275 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 38,380 | 22.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Recreation and ceremony | 28,584 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 21,357 | 20.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Natural | 20,517 | 27.9 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 20,120 | 40.2 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 16,852 | 28.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 14,403 | 26.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10,517 | 28.5 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 | 80480 | 136 |
Six Colorado cities with population within ±25% of Walden. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Walden.
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.