In 2025, fire departments serving Waupun responded to 97 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $400K 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 57% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
420 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $3.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 86 | — | |
| 2022 | 70 | -18.6% | |
| 2023 | 91 | +30.0% | |
| 2024 | 76 | -16.5% | |
| 2025 | 97 | +27.6% |
For the 23 building fires Waupun departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 81 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 19 | 23.5% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 9 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Function area, other | 5 | 6.2% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 5 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 4 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Other | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Exterior, exposed surface | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Outside area, other | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Undetermined | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 24 | 29.6% |
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 Waupun mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 28 | 34.6% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 6 | 7.4% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 7.4% | |
| 4 | Heat, spark from friction | 5 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Match | 5 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Molten, hot material | 4 | 4.9% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 4 | 4.9% | |
| 10 | Heat source: other | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 13 | 16.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Waupun departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 97% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $275,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $12,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $9,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Waupun sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 11,253 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,100 | 27.0 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,015 | 4.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 829 | 5.7 mi | |
| 1998 | Equipment and vehicle use | 630 | 5.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 612 | 4.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 572 | 37.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 508 | 15.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 45.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 484 | 23.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 29.2 mi | |
| 2019 | Arson/incendiarism | 385 | 38.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 366 | 42.3 mi |
Top 6 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 Waupun. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Waupun.
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.