In 2025, fire departments serving Morrill responded to 34 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 56% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
136 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $300K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21 | — | |
| 2022 | 27 | +28.6% | |
| 2023 | 23 | -14.8% | |
| 2024 | 31 | +34.8% | |
| 2025 | 34 | +9.7% |
For the 6 building fires Morrill departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 74 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 28 | 37.8% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 9 | 12.2% | |
| 3 | Wildland, woods | 6 | 8.1% | |
| 4 | Other | 4 | 5.4% | |
| 5 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 4 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 4 | 5.4% | |
| 7 | Structural area, other | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 14.9% |
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 Morrill mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hot ember or ash | 10 | 13.5% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 10 | 13.5% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 8 | 10.8% | |
| 4 | Match | 7 | 9.5% | |
| 5 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 7 | 9.5% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 8.1% | |
| 7 | Lightning | 4 | 5.4% | |
| 8 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 9 | Heat source: other | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 15 | 20.3% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Morrill sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 112,767 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Natural | 21,080 | 24.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 16,000 | 27.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 13,305 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 9,798 | 31.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,000 | 40.3 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 5,000 | 30.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 5,000 | 46.5 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,000 | 24.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,850 | 32.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 3,600 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 3,500 | 32.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 3,000 | 23.5 mi |
Top 3 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Nebraska cities with population within ±25% of Morrill. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Morrill.
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.