In 2025, fire departments serving Dassel responded to 45 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $375K 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 87% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
177 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $2.2M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 30 | — | |
| 2022 | 31 | +3.3% | |
| 2023 | 38 | +22.6% | |
| 2024 | 33 | -13.2% | |
| 2025 | 45 | +36.4% |
For the 21 building fires Dassel departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 52 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 | 20 | 38.5% | |
| 2 | Wall surface: exterior | 5 | 9.6% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 6 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Corridor, mall | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 13.5% |
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 Dassel mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 36 | 69.2% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 4 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 5.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Dassel departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $375,360 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $240,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $42,600 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $36,800 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $27,009 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $11,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Dassel sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 6,631 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 1,299 | 41.0 mi | |
| 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | 430 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 320 | 33.2 mi | |
| 1995 | Debris and open burning | 320 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 280 | 46.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 264 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 260 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | 240 | 47.7 mi | |
| 1997 | Arson/incendiarism | 231 | 38.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 229 | 38.0 mi | |
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 225 | 24.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Equipment and vehicle use | 220 | 47.1 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 | 55325 | 177 |
Six Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Dassel. 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.