In 2025, fire departments serving Chisago City responded to 22 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $10K 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 91% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
167 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $784K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 25 | — | |
| 2022 | 35 | +40.0% | |
| 2023 | 44 | +25.7% | |
| 2024 | 41 | -6.8% | |
| 2025 | 22 | -46.3% |
For the 8 building fires Chisago City departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 29 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 | 8 | 27.6% | |
| 2 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 3 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Technical processing areas, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 13.8% |
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 Chisago City mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 17 | 58.6% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 4 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Lightning | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 1 | 3.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Chisago City departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Chisago City sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 19,995 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 | 10.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,550 | 10.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 1,299 | 37.5 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,000 | 39.2 mi | |
| 2004 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 835 | 33.4 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 656 | 37.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Smoking | 420 | 12.6 mi | |
| 2004 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 358 | 38.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 336 | 18.2 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 335 | 42.1 mi | |
| 1995 | Debris and open burning | 320 | 42.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 306 | 19.4 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 55013 | 167 |
Six Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Chisago City. 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.