In 2025, fire departments serving Detroit Lakes responded to 61 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $400K 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 54% of all calls.
May peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
270 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $2.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 55 | — | |
| 2022 | 40 | -27.3% | |
| 2023 | 50 | +25.0% | |
| 2024 | 64 | +28.0% | |
| 2025 | 61 | -4.7% |
For the 9 building fires Detroit Lakes departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 72 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 | 18 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 7 | 9.7% | |
| 3 | Wall surface: exterior | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 22 | 30.6% |
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 Detroit Lakes mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 37 | 51.4% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 8.3% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 6.9% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Arcing | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 7 | 9.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Detroit Lakes departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Fire in portable building, fixed location | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $6,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $3,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $3,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Detroit Lakes sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 34,472 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,100 | 31.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,855 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 1,800 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 1,593 | 0.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 1,540 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,520 | 46.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,400 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,200 | 33.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,185 | 21.6 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,155 | 28.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,122 | 20.6 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 1,050 | 45.5 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 Detroit Lakes. 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.