In 2025, fire departments serving Lake City responded to 32 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 66% of all calls.
May peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
126 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $421K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20 | — | |
| 2022 | 16 | -20.0% | |
| 2023 | 23 | +43.8% | |
| 2024 | 35 | +52.2% | |
| 2025 | 32 | -8.6% |
For the 3 building fires Lake City departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 39 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 | 25.6% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 6 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Other | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Outside area, other | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 9 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 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 Lake City mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 10 | 25.6% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 17.9% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 5 | 12.8% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 9 | Match | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 5.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Lake City departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $7,000 | Water vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $2,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $1,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Lake City sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,633 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,200 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Fireworks | 390 | 38.5 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 295 | 21.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 260 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 148 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 124 | 40.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 123 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 122 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 83 | 4.7 mi | |
| 1993 | Arson/incendiarism | 83 | 21.9 mi | |
| 1992 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 41.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 37.9 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 Lake 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.