In 2025, fire departments serving Wisconsin Dells responded to 102 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 43% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
408 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $3.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 67 | — | |
| 2022 | 58 | -13.4% | |
| 2023 | 93 | +60.3% | |
| 2024 | 88 | -5.4% | |
| 2025 | 102 | +15.9% |
For the 7 building fires Wisconsin Dells departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 190 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 | 38 | 20.0% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 30 | 15.8% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 19 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 12 | 6.3% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 10 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 10 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 9 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 5 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Outside area, other | 5 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Wall surface: exterior | 4 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 48 | 25.3% |
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 Wisconsin Dells mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 65 | 34.2% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 36 | 18.9% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 17 | 8.9% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 16 | 8.4% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 8 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 6 | 3.2% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 5 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 4 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 24 | 12.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Wisconsin Dells departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 98% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $75,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Wisconsin Dells sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 9,711 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 | 30.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,400 | 39.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 572 | 31.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 40.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 484 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 384 | 37.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 337 | 32.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 36.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | 234 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 180 | 20.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 170 | 37.5 mi | |
| 2013 | Equipment and vehicle use | 170 | 35.2 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 Wisconsin Dells. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Wisconsin Dells.
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.