In 2025, fire departments serving Le Mars responded to 100 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $130K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 49% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
520 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.8M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 99 | — | |
| 2022 | 118 | +19.2% | |
| 2023 | 86 | -27.1% | |
| 2024 | 117 | +36.0% | |
| 2025 | 100 | -14.5% |
For the 9 building fires Le Mars departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 104 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 | 18 | 17.3% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 16 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 16 | 15.4% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 8 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 5 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Other | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 24 | 23.1% |
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 Le Mars mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 26 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 8 | 7.7% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 8 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 7 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 6 | 5.8% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 6 | 5.8% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Molten, hot material | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 10 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 24 | 23.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Le Mars departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $130,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $120,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $20,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Heat from short circuit (wiring), defective/worn | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $900 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Le Mars sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 11,735 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 31.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Smoking | 800 | 46.9 mi | |
| 2002 | Fireworks | 680 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 650 | 48.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Smoking | 582 | 46.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 560 | 34.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 500 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 500 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 480 | 42.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 470 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 375 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 370 | 48.4 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 | 51031 | 520 |
Six Iowa cities with population within ±25% of Le Mars. 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.