In 2025, fire departments serving Glencoe responded to 51 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K 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 67% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
209 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.6M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35 | — | |
| 2022 | 40 | +14.3% | |
| 2023 | 55 | +37.5% | |
| 2024 | 28 | -49.1% | |
| 2025 | 51 | +82.1% |
For the 12 building fires Glencoe departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 47 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 | 13 | 27.7% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 6 | 12.8% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Closet | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 21.3% |
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 Glencoe mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 12 | 25.5% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 6 | 12.8% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 5 | 10.6% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 8.5% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 8.5% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 7 | Molten, hot material | 3 | 6.4% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 12.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Glencoe departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $90,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $50,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Water vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $2,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Glencoe sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 7,773 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 | 41.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,000 | 45.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 400 | 35.9 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 290 | 32.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 225 | 45.0 mi | |
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 225 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 217 | 32.7 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 43.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 200 | 12.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 180 | 14.9 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 180 | 37.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 166 | 48.1 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 | 55336 | 209 |
Six Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Glencoe. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Glencoe.
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.