In 2025, fire departments serving Wild Rose responded to 22 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $85K 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 86% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
171 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $505K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 37 | — | |
| 2022 | 37 | +0.0% | |
| 2023 | 50 | +35.1% | |
| 2024 | 25 | -50.0% | |
| 2025 | 22 | -12.0% |
For the 6 building fires Wild Rose departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 16 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 | 4 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Storage area, other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Maintenance shop or area, paint shop or area | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 8 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 10 | Outside area, other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 1 | 6.2% |
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 Wild Rose mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 68.8% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 6.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Wild Rose departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $85,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Wild Rose sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 12,597 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 3,410 | 26.8 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,015 | 50.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 829 | 40.3 mi | |
| 1998 | Equipment and vehicle use | 630 | 40.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 612 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 572 | 15.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 508 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 484 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 31.2 mi | |
| 2019 | Arson/incendiarism | 385 | 23.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 366 | 30.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 337 | 44.7 mi |
Top 3 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 Wild Rose. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Wild Rose.
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.