In 2025, fire departments serving Polk County responded to 3,802 fire and hazmat incidents — including a single $450K property loss. FEMA NRI rates wildfire risk here as Very High.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Top five categories make up about 62% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Dec dips.
20,369 incidents from 2021 through 2025.
| Year | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3,245 | |
| 2022 | 4,562 | |
| 2023 | 4,081 | |
| 2024 | 4,679 | |
| 2025 | 3,802 |
For the 364 building fires departments responded to in 2025, here's how investigators classified them.
Largest single-incident property losses in Polk County during 2025. These 10 fires alone account for 25% of the county's total.
| # | Property loss | City | Type | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $450,000 | Poinciana | Building fires | Major |
| 2 | $400,000 | Lakeland | Building fires | Major |
| 3 | $325,000 | Lakeland | Building fires | Major |
| 4 | $300,000 | Lakeland | Building fires | Major |
| 5 | $300,000 | Frostproof | Building fires | Major |
| 6 | $280,000 | Fort Meade | Building fires | Major |
| 7 | $275,000 | Bartow | Building fires | Major |
| 8 | $250,000 | Lake Alfred | Building fires | Major |
| 9 | $250,000 | Lakeland | Building fires | Major |
| 10 | $250,000 | Lakeland | Building fires | Major |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples.
12 cities mapped to FIPS 12105.
| City | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| Lakeland | 114,404 | View › |
| Poinciana | 69,311 | View › |
| Winter Haven | 50,778 | View › |
| Haines City | 28,922 | View › |
| Bartow | 19,424 | View › |
| Lake Wales | 16,455 | View › |
| Auburndale | 16,432 | View › |
| Highland City | 12,456 | View › |
| Fuller Heights | 11,462 | View › |
| Medulla | 11,355 | View › |
| Lakeland Highlands | 11,276 | View › |
| Davenport | 10,246 | View › |
11 departments report from this county.
Top 10 fire perimeters by acres burned (state-scoped fallback while we build out per-county polygons).
| # | Name | Year | Agency | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DOF Prarie Fire | 2011 | NPS | 68,028 |
| 2 | CP3 RX | 2021 | NPS | 66,918 |
| 3 | Buzzard | 2018 | NPS | 62,454 |
| 4 | Tarpon (BIL) | 2023 | NPS | 52,542 |
| 5 | CP-2 Exotics (BIL) | 2023 | NPS | 49,703 |
| 6 | EVER CP3 Exotics Rx | 2024 | NPS | 47,986 |
| 7 | ROG-South (BIL) | 2023 | NPS | 47,619 |
| 8 | ROG-South/Southern Glades | 2020 | NPS | 43,751 |
| 9 | BICY Kirby Rx FY24 | 2024 | NPS | 39,765 |
| 10 | Mustang Corner | 2008 | NPS | 39,423 |
County-level NFIRS aggregates for 2025, plus 5-year totals across 2021–2025. NFIRS is voluntary — about 23,000 of roughly 30,000 US fire departments report — so totals are a strong indicator, not a complete census. Wildfire risk score (0–100) and Expected Annual Loss come from FEMA's National Risk Index. Drought class is the most recent USDM classification (D0 = abnormally dry through D4 = exceptional drought). Historical fire perimeters are sourced from the NIFC InterAgency Fire Perimeter History.