In 2025, fire departments serving Wauzeka responded to 14 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Grass fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 78% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
65 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $100K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 14 | — | |
| 2022 | 14 | +0.0% | |
| 2023 | 12 | -14.3% | |
| 2024 | 11 | -8.3% | |
| 2025 | 14 | +27.3% |
For the 2 building fires Wauzeka departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 19 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 | 6 | 31.6% | |
| 2 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 15.8% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 5 | Other | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 9 | Exterior, exposed surface | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 10 | Wildland, woods | 1 | 5.3% |
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 Wauzeka mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 57.9% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 4 | Lightning | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 5.3% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Wauzeka sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,306 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 | 31.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 300 | 39.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 300 | 36.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 195 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 189 | 2.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 166 | 35.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 165 | 26.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 140 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 130 | 41.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 125 | 43.9 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 124 | 38.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 104 | 34.2 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 Wauzeka. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Wauzeka.
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.