In 2025, fire departments serving Williamsburg responded to 35 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $45K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Grass fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 77% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
163 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $407K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 26 | — | |
| 2022 | 36 | +38.5% | |
| 2023 | 39 | +8.3% | |
| 2024 | 27 | -30.8% | |
| 2025 | 35 | +29.6% |
For the 3 building fires Williamsburg departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 63 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 | 23 | 36.5% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 8 | 12.7% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 7 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 11.1% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Other | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 10 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 12.7% |
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 Williamsburg mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 13 | 20.6% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 11 | 17.5% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 7 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 9.5% | |
| 5 | Heat, spark from friction | 5 | 7.9% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 4 | 6.3% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 7 | 11.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Williamsburg departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $45,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $40,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $18,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $3,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $300 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Williamsburg sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 6,950 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 38.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 824 | 12.4 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 402 | 19.8 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 400 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 400 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 360 | 15.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 316 | 15.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 250 | 23.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 27.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 228 | 12.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 39.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 44.7 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 | 52361 | 163 |
Six Iowa cities with population within ±25% of Williamsburg. 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.