In 2025, fire departments serving Waunakee responded to 84 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $500K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 77% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
284 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.8M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 47 | — | |
| 2022 | 38 | -19.1% | |
| 2023 | 68 | +78.9% | |
| 2024 | 47 | -30.9% | |
| 2025 | 84 | +78.7% |
For the 21 building fires Waunakee departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 35 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 | Outside area, other | 6 | 17.1% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 8 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 9 | Structural area, other | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 11.4% |
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 Waunakee mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat source: other | 9 | 25.7% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 9 | 25.7% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Waunakee departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Waunakee sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 11,531 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,400 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,100 | 30.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,100 | 30.8 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,015 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 617 | 37.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 612 | 43.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 580 | 31.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 5.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 484 | 28.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 364 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 360 | 46.1 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 | 53597 | 284 |
Six Wisconsin cities with population within ±25% of Waunakee. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Waunakee.
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.