In 2025, fire departments serving Washougal responded to 159 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $350K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 51% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
755 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $2.6M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 144 | — | |
| 2022 | 138 | -4.2% | |
| 2023 | 151 | +9.4% | |
| 2024 | 163 | +7.9% | |
| 2025 | 159 | -2.5% |
For the 22 building fires Washougal departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 179 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 | 39 | 21.8% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 34 | 19.0% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 19 | 10.6% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 17 | 9.5% | |
| 5 | Other | 10 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 6 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 6 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 34 | 19.0% |
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 Washougal mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 106 | 59.2% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 11 | 6.1% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 11 | 6.1% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 10 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 8 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 2.8% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Match | 4 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 3 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 12 | 6.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Washougal departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 95% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $350,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $30,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Trash or rubbish fire, contained | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Washougal sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 290,420 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 | 138,054 | 39.3 mi | |
| 2017 | Fireworks | 48,488 | 21.6 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 24,995 | 29.6 mi | |
| 1992 | Smoking | 24,400 | 20.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Natural | 17,442 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 7,500 | 14.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 6,304 | 34.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,508 | 27.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Natural | 3,280 | 37.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,584 | 28.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 1,850 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,644 | 41.8 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 Washington cities with population within ±25% of Washougal. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Washougal.
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.