In 2025, fire departments serving International Falls responded to 44 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $15K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 64% of all calls.
May peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
196 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $488K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 45 | — | |
| 2022 | 39 | -13.3% | |
| 2023 | 33 | -15.4% | |
| 2024 | 35 | +6.1% | |
| 2025 | 44 | +25.7% |
For the 6 building fires International Falls departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 81 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 | 26 | 32.1% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 8.6% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 7.4% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 5 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Vacant structural area | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 8 | Outside area, other | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Other | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 10 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 24 | 29.6% |
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 International Falls mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 34 | 42.0% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 10 | 12.3% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 10 | 12.3% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 8 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 7 | 8.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by International Falls departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $500 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $500 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $1 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $1 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. International Falls sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,189 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Natural | 1,435 | 23.4 mi | |
| 1998 | Debris and open burning | 301 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 300 | 38.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 180 | 13.4 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 106 | 7.4 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 97 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 75 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 70 | 29.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 68 | 26.1 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 56 | 33.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 46 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 45 | 30.4 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 | 56649 | 196 |
Six Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of International Falls. 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.