In 2025, fire departments serving Chippewa Falls responded to 52 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K 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 60% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
208 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 37 | — | |
| 2022 | 40 | +8.1% | |
| 2023 | 46 | +15.0% | |
| 2024 | 33 | -28.3% | |
| 2025 | 52 | +57.6% |
For the 13 building fires Chippewa Falls departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 42 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 | 10 | 23.8% | |
| 2 | Vehicle area, other | 8 | 19.0% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 6 | 14.3% | |
| 4 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Other | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Structural area, other | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Office | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 11.9% |
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 Chippewa Falls mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 15 | 35.7% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 5 | 11.9% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 9.5% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 9.5% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Match | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 7.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Chippewa Falls departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $7,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $4,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Chippewa Falls sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,734 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 553 | 24.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Fireworks | 390 | 18.8 mi | |
| 1998 | Recreation and ceremony | 250 | 24.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 148 | 30.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 124 | 19.9 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 122 | 19.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 113 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 104 | 33.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 89 | 45.0 mi | |
| 1993 | Arson/incendiarism | 75 | 33.7 mi | |
| 1994 | Equipment and vehicle use | 74 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 62 | 44.6 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 Chippewa Falls. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Chippewa Falls.
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.