In 2025, fire departments serving Battle Lake responded to 24 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $150K 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 75% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
99 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.1M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 14 | — | |
| 2022 | 26 | +85.7% | |
| 2023 | 12 | -53.8% | |
| 2024 | 23 | +91.7% | |
| 2025 | 24 | +4.3% |
For the 9 building fires Battle Lake 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 | 11 | 37.9% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 3 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 4 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Wall assembly | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 7 | Outside area, other | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 8 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 6.9% |
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 Battle Lake mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 12 | 41.4% | |
| 2 | Conducted heat from another fire | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 1 | 3.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Battle Lake departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $149,800 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $108,400 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $107,700 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $30,038 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $12,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $2,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Battle Lake sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 22,550 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 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,855 | 34.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,725 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 1,593 | 37.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,520 | 43.4 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 910 | 39.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 900 | 35.9 mi | |
| 1998 | Debris and open burning | 490 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 470 | 22.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 375 | 38.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 367 | 37.0 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 360 | 8.1 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 | 56515 | 99 |
Six Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Battle Lake. 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.