In 2025, fire departments serving Waynesville responded to 13 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $25K 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 92% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
41 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $41K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 5 | — | |
| 2022 | 6 | +20.0% | |
| 2023 | 9 | +50.0% | |
| 2024 | 8 | -11.1% | |
| 2025 | 13 | +62.5% |
For the 5 building fires Waynesville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 7 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 57.1% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 28.6% | |
| 3 | Roof surface: exterior | 1 | 14.3% |
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 Waynesville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 3 | 42.9% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 2 | 28.6% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 14.3% | |
| 4 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 14.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Waynesville departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $25,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Waynesville sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 27,727 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,500 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,855 | 38.2 mi | |
| 1993 | Debris and open burning | 2,245 | 36.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,160 | 33.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,249 | 12.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,212 | 8.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 1,049 | 10.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,027 | 28.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,005 | 37.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 943 | 40.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Smoking | 844 | 21.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 789 | 23.4 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 | 65583 | 41 |
Six Missouri cities with population within ±25% of Waynesville. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
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.