In 2025, fire departments serving Osseo responded to 30 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $30K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Grass fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 70% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
186 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $2.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 33 | — | |
| 2022 | 38 | +15.2% | |
| 2023 | 43 | +13.2% | |
| 2024 | 42 | -2.3% | |
| 2025 | 30 | -28.6% |
For the 4 building fires Osseo departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 55 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 | 8 | 14.5% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 8 | 14.5% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 10.9% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 6 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Structural area, other | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 16 | 29.1% |
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 Osseo mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 29.1% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 7 | 12.7% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 10.9% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 10.9% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 4 | 7.3% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Lightning | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Conducted heat from another fire | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 7.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Osseo departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $30,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $30,000 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $15,000 | Cultivated grain or crop fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $15,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Osseo sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,723 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 | 31.2 mi | |
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 553 | 15.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Fireworks | 390 | 33.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 360 | 29.1 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 295 | 41.7 mi | |
| 1998 | Recreation and ceremony | 250 | 13.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | 159 | 32.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 148 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 124 | 16.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 122 | 15.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 113 | 43.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 104 | 19.3 mi |
Top 4 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 Osseo. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Osseo.
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.