In 2025, fire departments serving Minot responded to 41 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Biological hazard, confirmed or suspected lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 71% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
276 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 63 | — | |
| 2022 | 48 | -23.8% | |
| 2023 | 57 | +18.8% | |
| 2024 | 67 | +17.5% | |
| 2025 | 41 | -38.8% |
For the 4 building fires Minot departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 29 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 | 9 | 31.0% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 7 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 8 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Structural area, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Ceiling & floor assembly, crawl space b/t stories | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 6.9% |
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 Minot mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 13 | 44.8% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 13.8% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Molten, hot material | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Pipe or cigar | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Lightning | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Radiated heat from another fire | 1 | 3.4% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Minot sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,445 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 329 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 236 | 37.5 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 139 | 43.0 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 64 | 30.6 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 33.3 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 57 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 51 | 26.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 42 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 28.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 20.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39 | 5.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 33 | 48.2 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 Maine cities with population within ±25% of Minot. 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.