In 2025, fire departments serving Walnut Grove responded to 13 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $10K 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 100% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
92 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $17K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 16 | — | |
| 2022 | 19 | +18.8% | |
| 2023 | 14 | -26.3% | |
| 2024 | 30 | +114.3% | |
| 2025 | 13 | -56.7% |
For the 11 building fires Walnut Grove departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 19 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 | 16 | 84.2% | |
| 2 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 3 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 5.3% |
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 Walnut Grove mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 84.2% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 4 | Conducted heat from another fire | 1 | 5.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Walnut Grove departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Walnut Grove sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 27,391 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,500 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,855 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,160 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,121 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,732 | 10.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,212 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,017 | 45.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,016 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,005 | 42.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 943 | 44.2 mi | |
| 1994 | Debris and open burning | 790 | 21.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 772 | 8.2 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 Missouri cities with population within ±25% of Walnut Grove. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Walnut 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.