In 2025, fire departments serving Whitefish Bay responded to 40 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 75% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
182 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $198K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 53 | — | |
| 2022 | 27 | -49.1% | |
| 2023 | 29 | +7.4% | |
| 2024 | 33 | +13.8% | |
| 2025 | 40 | +21.2% |
For the 1 building fires Whitefish Bay departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 23 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 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 17.4% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 17.4% | |
| 3 | Wall assembly | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Other | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Arena, assembly area w/ fixed seats - 100+ persons | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Assembly area without fixed seats - 100+ persons | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Office | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Conduit, pipe, utility, or ventilation shaft | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 26.1% |
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 Whitefish Bay mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 6 | 26.1% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 3 | 13.0% | |
| 3 | Fireworks | 2 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Molten, hot material | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 4.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 21.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Whitefish Bay departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Whitefish Bay sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 5,396 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 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 750 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 364 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 360 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | 325 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 280 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 252 | 43.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 250 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 200 | 19.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 180 | 20.3 mi | |
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 130 | 47.8 mi |
Top 5 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 Whitefish Bay. 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.