In 2025, fire departments serving Grimes responded to 85 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 62% of all calls.
May peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
382 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $777K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 56 | — | |
| 2022 | 79 | +41.1% | |
| 2023 | 88 | +11.4% | |
| 2024 | 74 | -15.9% | |
| 2025 | 85 | +14.9% |
For the 20 building fires Grimes departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 65 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 | 14 | 21.5% | |
| 2 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 9 | 13.8% | |
| 3 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 6 | 9.2% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 5 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 7 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 8 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 13 | 20.0% |
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 Grimes mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 24.6% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 12 | 18.5% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 7 | 10.8% | |
| 4 | Cigarette | 7 | 10.8% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Fireworks | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 9.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Grimes 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 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $30,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Grimes sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,214 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 700 | 20.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 346 | 31.0 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 328 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 320 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 38.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 160 | 45.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 33.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 150 | 47.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 120 | 41.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 120 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 105 | 31.2 mi |
Top 4 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Iowa cities with population within ±25% of Grimes. 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.