In 2025, fire departments serving Washburn responded to 22 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 64% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
108 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 13 | — | |
| 2022 | 25 | +92.3% | |
| 2023 | 28 | +12.0% | |
| 2024 | 20 | -28.6% | |
| 2025 | 22 | +10.0% |
For the 5 building fires Washburn departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 43 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 | 12 | 27.9% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 14.0% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 11.6% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 20.9% |
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 Washburn mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 28 | 65.1% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 5 | Cigarette | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.3% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Washburn sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 10,185 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Equipment and vehicle use | 7,499 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2007 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,167 | 32.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 258 | 18.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 170 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 120 | 31.4 mi | |
| 1992 | Natural | 100 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 79 | 17.9 mi | |
| 1992 | Smoking | 70 | 18.2 mi | |
| 1998 | Recreation and ceremony | 63 | 8.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 61 | 47.7 mi | |
| 1998 | Equipment and vehicle use | 56 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 50 | 32.1 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 Wisconsin cities with population within ±25% of Washburn. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Washburn.
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.