In 2025, fire departments serving Chaska responded to 50 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $75K 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 78% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
331 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $2.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 91 | — | |
| 2022 | 74 | -18.7% | |
| 2023 | 67 | -9.5% | |
| 2024 | 49 | -26.9% | |
| 2025 | 50 | +2.0% |
For the 23 building fires Chaska departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 65 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 | 11 | 16.9% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 9 | 13.8% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 9 | 13.8% | |
| 4 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 5 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 7 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 15 | 23.1% |
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 Chaska mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 25 | 38.5% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 9 | 13.8% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 9 | 13.8% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Fireworks | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 7.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Chaska departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $75,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $3,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Chaska sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 21,158 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 8,513 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,909 | 40.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,550 | 40.5 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 1,299 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,000 | 18.9 mi | |
| 2000 | Smoking | 420 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 400 | 35.3 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 336 | 36.7 mi | |
| 1995 | Debris and open burning | 320 | 47.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 306 | 34.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 290 | 36.5 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 30.6 mi |
Top 2 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Chaska. 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.