Red Flag Warnings Blanket Five Northern Rockies and Plains States
Critical fire weather triggered Red Flag Warnings across Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and the Dakotas on Sept. 10, capping an active season in the region.
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In 2025, fire departments serving Freeman responded to 13 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 77% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Mar dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
71 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 14 | — | |
| 2022 | 14 | +0.0% | |
| 2023 | 16 | +14.3% | |
| 2024 | 14 | -12.5% | |
| 2025 | 13 | -7.1% |
For the 2 building fires Freeman departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 44 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 | 13 | 29.5% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 10 | 22.7% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 11.4% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Fuel tank, fuel line | 1 | 2.3% |
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 Freeman mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 7 | 15.9% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 5 | 11.4% | |
| 4 | Heat, spark from friction | 5 | 11.4% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 10 | Match | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 6.8% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Freeman sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 16,405 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Smoking | 1,500 | 44.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 1,400 | 31.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 43.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,200 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 28.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 1,125 | 34.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Equipment and vehicle use | 870 | 42.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 800 | 25.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 640 | 39.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 600 | 22.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 550 | 22.2 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 South Dakota cities with population within ±25% of Freeman. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Freeman.
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.