In 2025, fire departments serving Chetek responded to 26 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $90K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Passenger vehicle fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 62% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
216 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $3.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 40 | — | |
| 2022 | 37 | -7.5% | |
| 2023 | 57 | +54.1% | |
| 2024 | 56 | -1.8% | |
| 2025 | 26 | -53.6% |
For the 4 building fires Chetek departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 74 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 | Undetermined | 15 | 20.3% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 9 | 12.2% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 8.1% | |
| 4 | Other | 5 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 5 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 6.8% | |
| 7 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 5.4% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 10 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 17 | 23.0% |
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 Chetek mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 32 | 43.2% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 10 | 13.5% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 8 | 10.8% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Arcing | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 5.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Chetek departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $90,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $80,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $20,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Chetek sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,108 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Fireworks | 390 | 31.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 148 | 26.9 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 140 | 26.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 124 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 123 | 37.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 122 | 45.7 mi | |
| 1998 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 120 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 75 | 47.6 mi | |
| 1993 | Arson/incendiarism | 75 | 28.5 mi | |
| 1993 | Debris and open burning | 70 | 41.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 69 | 29.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 60 | 25.1 mi |
Top 4 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 Chetek. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Chetek.
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.