In 2025, fire departments serving Park Rapids responded to 67 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $524K 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 60% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
305 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $3.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 67 | — | |
| 2022 | 63 | -6.0% | |
| 2023 | 46 | -27.0% | |
| 2024 | 62 | +34.8% | |
| 2025 | 67 | +8.1% |
For the 10 building fires Park Rapids departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 108 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 | 26 | 24.1% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 24 | 22.2% | |
| 3 | Wall surface: exterior | 10 | 9.3% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 4 | 3.7% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 4 | 3.7% | |
| 6 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 4 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Structural area, other | 4 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Other | 3 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 22 | 20.4% |
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 Park Rapids mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 62 | 57.4% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 13 | 12.0% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 11 | 10.2% | |
| 4 | Cigarette | 4 | 3.7% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 2.8% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 2.8% | |
| 7 | Conducted heat from another fire | 3 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Heat source: other | 1 | 0.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 3.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Park Rapids departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $524,496 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $88,166 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $8,721 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,755 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Park Rapids sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 26,624 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,100 | 8.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 1,800 | 33.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,725 | 41.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 1,593 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,520 | 23.3 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,242 | 47.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,185 | 43.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 1,050 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,000 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 950 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 818 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 704 | 49.2 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 | 56470 | 305 |
Six Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Park Rapids. 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.