In 2025, fire departments serving Willard responded to 46 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K 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 52% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
216 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $681K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 37 | — | |
| 2022 | 62 | +67.6% | |
| 2023 | 36 | -41.9% | |
| 2024 | 35 | -2.8% | |
| 2025 | 46 | +31.4% |
For the 8 building fires Willard departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 55 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 | Outside area, other | 12 | 21.8% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 12 | 21.8% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 8 | 14.5% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 6 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Other | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 16.4% |
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 Willard mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 27 | 49.1% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 9 | 16.4% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 4 | 7.3% | |
| 4 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 4 | 7.3% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 8 | Arcing | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 7.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Willard departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Chimney or flue fire, confined to chimney or flue | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $2,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $2,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $150 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $25 | Natural vegetation fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Willard sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 27,102 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 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,855 | 48.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,160 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,121 | 38.7 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,732 | 21.3 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,212 | 36.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,027 | 50.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,016 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,005 | 37.9 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 943 | 45.8 mi | |
| 1994 | Debris and open burning | 790 | 31.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 772 | 15.1 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 Missouri cities with population within ±25% of Willard. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Willard.
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.