In 2025, fire departments serving Le Sueur responded to 43 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $20K 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 65% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
139 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $395K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 19 | — | |
| 2022 | 24 | +26.3% | |
| 2023 | 27 | +12.5% | |
| 2024 | 26 | -3.7% | |
| 2025 | 43 | +65.4% |
For the 4 building fires Le Sueur 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 | 14 | 48.3% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 17.2% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 5 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Wall assembly | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Outside area, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 1 | 3.4% |
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 Le Sueur mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 55.2% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 4 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 1 | 3.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Le Sueur departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Le Sueur sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 7,189 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,909 | 17.1 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,000 | 41.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 400 | 11.8 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 290 | 9.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 225 | 23.7 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 38.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 200 | 18.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 180 | 34.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 180 | 33.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 23.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 144 | 31.1 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 Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Le Sueur. 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.