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 Jamestown responded to 74 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $80K 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 73% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Mar dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
403 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $3.3M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 72 | — | |
| 2022 | 94 | +30.6% | |
| 2023 | 73 | -22.3% | |
| 2024 | 90 | +23.3% | |
| 2025 | 74 | -17.8% |
For the 11 building fires Jamestown departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 130 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 | 48 | 36.9% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 22 | 16.9% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 12 | 9.2% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 11 | 8.5% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 3.8% | |
| 6 | Other | 4 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 3 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 3 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 17 | 13.1% |
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 Jamestown mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 82 | 63.1% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 10 | 7.7% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 10 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Heat, spark from friction | 5 | 3.8% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 4 | 3.1% | |
| 6 | Molten, hot material | 4 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 1.5% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 2 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 3.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Jamestown departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $8,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $8,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $3,000 | Fire in portable building, fixed location | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Chimney or flue fire, confined to chimney or flue | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Jamestown sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 15,315 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,690 | 33.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 1,760 | 27.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,680 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 17.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | 700 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 700 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 13.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 26.4 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 8.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Natural | 375 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 360 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 320 | 38.4 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.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Jamestown.
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.