In 2025, fire departments serving Staples responded to 43 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K 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 82% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
168 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.8M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28 | — | |
| 2022 | 40 | +42.9% | |
| 2023 | 29 | -27.5% | |
| 2024 | 28 | -3.4% | |
| 2025 | 43 | +53.6% |
For the 18 building fires Staples departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 63 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 | 18 | 28.6% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 12.7% | |
| 3 | Storage area, other | 6 | 9.5% | |
| 4 | Wall assembly | 4 | 6.3% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 4 | 6.3% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 13 | 20.6% |
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 Staples mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 37 | 58.7% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 5 | 7.9% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 6.3% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 1.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Staples departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 91% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $90,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $35,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $12,500 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Staples sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 20,507 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,100 | 36.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,725 | 6.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,520 | 16.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,260 | 26.1 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 830 | 41.2 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 750 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 663 | 39.6 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 620 | 33.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 470 | 23.9 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 440 | 27.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 393 | 25.9 mi | |
| 1997 | Arson/incendiarism | 380 | 41.0 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 | 56479 | 168 |
Six Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Staples. 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.