In 2025, fire departments serving Deer River responded to 42 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $10K 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.
May peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
215 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36 | — | |
| 2022 | 50 | +38.9% | |
| 2023 | 34 | -32.0% | |
| 2024 | 53 | +55.9% | |
| 2025 | 42 | -20.8% |
For the 18 building fires Deer River 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 | 48 | 92.3% | |
| 2 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 1 | 1.9% |
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 Deer River mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 50 | 96.2% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 1.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Deer River departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 89% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $3,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Deer River sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 11,466 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,242 | 18.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,150 | 39.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 850 | 40.9 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 725 | 40.9 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 679 | 41.6 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 600 | 37.4 mi | |
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 600 | 39.3 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 517 | 38.7 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 452 | 7.7 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 364 | 40.4 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 360 | 45.2 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 360 | 20.8 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 | 56636 | 215 |
Six Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Deer River. 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.