In 2025, fire departments serving Lindstrom responded to 35 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K 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 89% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
199 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $854K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36 | — | |
| 2022 | 47 | +30.6% | |
| 2023 | 44 | -6.4% | |
| 2024 | 37 | -15.9% | |
| 2025 | 35 | -5.4% |
For the 9 building fires Lindstrom departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 37 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 | 5 | 13.5% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 5 | 13.5% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 10.8% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 8.1% | |
| 5 | Egress/exit, other | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Function area, other | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 8 | Outside area, other | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 10 | Other | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 24.3% |
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 Lindstrom mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 20 | 54.1% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 8.1% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 8 | Candle | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Lindstrom departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Lindstrom sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 21,165 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 8,513 | 14.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,550 | 14.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 1,350 | 46.5 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 1,299 | 40.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,000 | 42.9 mi | |
| 2004 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 835 | 32.0 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 656 | 34.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Smoking | 420 | 15.4 mi | |
| 2004 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 358 | 37.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 336 | 21.9 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 335 | 40.8 mi | |
| 1995 | Debris and open burning | 320 | 45.2 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 | 55045 | 199 |
Six Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Lindstrom. 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.