In 2025, fire departments serving Brownton responded to 10 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $138K 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 90% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
60 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $525K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 11 | — | |
| 2022 | 9 | -18.2% | |
| 2023 | 11 | +22.2% | |
| 2024 | 19 | +72.7% | |
| 2025 | 10 | -47.4% |
For the 2 building fires Brownton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 18 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 | 5 | 27.8% | |
| 2 | Structural area, other | 2 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 2 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Other | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 9 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 11.1% |
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 Brownton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 7 | 38.9% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 2 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 11.1% | |
| 5 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Match | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 9 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 5.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Brownton departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $138,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $50 | Grass fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Brownton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 6,229 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 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 400 | 39.8 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 290 | 34.7 mi | |
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 225 | 47.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 217 | 30.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 200 | 22.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 180 | 6.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 36.9 mi | |
| 1998 | Debris and open burning | 150 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 144 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 125 | 43.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 124 | 18.7 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 | 55312 | 60 |
Six Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Brownton. 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.