In 2025, fire departments serving Washington responded to 24 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Aircraft standby lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 83% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
152 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35 | — | |
| 2022 | 28 | -20.0% | |
| 2023 | 46 | +64.3% | |
| 2024 | 19 | -58.7% | |
| 2025 | 24 | +26.3% |
For the 5 building fires Washington departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 49 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 | 21 | 42.9% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 7 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 8.2% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 4 | 8.2% | |
| 5 | Wall assembly | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Interior stairway or ramp | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 8 | Technical processing areas, other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 10.2% |
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 Washington mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 24 | 49.0% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 6 | 12.2% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 10.2% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 8.2% | |
| 5 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Lightning | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Incendiary device | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 2.0% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Washington sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 69,776 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,000 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,500 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,289 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,278 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,800 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,000 | 31.9 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,500 | 41.4 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,490 | 41.8 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,288 | 26.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,200 | 41.6 mi |
Top 3 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Kansas cities with population within ±25% of Washington. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Washington.
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.