In 2025, fire departments serving Clarks Grove responded to 10 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $45K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Passenger vehicle fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 80% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
52 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $166K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 13 | — | |
| 2022 | 13 | +0.0% | |
| 2023 | 7 | -46.2% | |
| 2024 | 9 | +28.6% | |
| 2025 | 10 | +11.1% |
For the 0 building fires Clarks Grove departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 15 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 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Conveyor | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Incinerator area | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Structural area, other | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Wall assembly | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 8 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 9 | Exterior, exposed surface | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 10 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 1 | 6.7% |
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 Clarks Grove mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 26.7% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 4 | 26.7% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 13.3% | |
| 4 | Chemical reaction | 2 | 13.3% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 6.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Clarks Grove departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $45,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $25,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Clarks Grove sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 5,019 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 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 400 | 44.8 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 290 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 225 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 19.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 177 | 5.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 120 | 23.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 32.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 48.7 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 60 | 39.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 55 | 38.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 25.8 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 | 56016 | 52 |
Six Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Clarks Grove. 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.