In 2025, fire departments serving Chippewa Lake responded to 15 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $150K 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 100% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
88 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $427K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 22 | — | |
| 2022 | 11 | -50.0% | |
| 2023 | 28 | +154.5% | |
| 2024 | 12 | -57.1% | |
| 2025 | 15 | +25.0% |
For the 7 building fires Chippewa Lake departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 35 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 | Outside area, other | 7 | 20.0% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 20.0% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 6 | 17.1% | |
| 4 | Other | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Structural area, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 8.6% |
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 Lake mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 10 | 28.6% | |
| 2 | Match | 6 | 17.1% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Arcing | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 8.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Chippewa Lake departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Chippewa Lake sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 600 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 171 | 33.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 34.1 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 25 | 14.8 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 22 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 | 25.2 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 27.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 19.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 | 43.1 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 15 | 43.1 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 Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Chippewa Lake. 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.