In 2025, fire departments serving Center City responded to 21 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $30K 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 76% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
91 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $585K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 13 | — | |
| 2022 | 21 | +61.5% | |
| 2023 | 23 | +9.5% | |
| 2024 | 13 | -43.5% | |
| 2025 | 21 | +61.5% |
For the 6 building fires Center City departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 22 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 | 4 | 18.2% | |
| 2 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 13.6% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 13.6% | |
| 4 | Storage area, other | 2 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 2 | 9.1% | |
| 6 | Other | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 10 | Exterior, exposed surface | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 13.6% |
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 Center City mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 10 | 45.5% | |
| 2 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 27.3% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 2 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 4.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Center City departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $1,500 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Center City sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 21,025 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 8,513 | 16.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,550 | 16.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 1,350 | 45.4 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 1,299 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,000 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2004 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 835 | 32.3 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 656 | 33.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Smoking | 420 | 17.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 358 | 37.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 336 | 23.6 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 335 | 41.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 306 | 24.9 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 Center City. 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.