In 2025, fire departments serving Perham responded to 39 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K 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 80% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
194 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 34 | — | |
| 2022 | 44 | +29.4% | |
| 2023 | 33 | -25.0% | |
| 2024 | 44 | +33.3% | |
| 2025 | 39 | -11.4% |
For the 12 building fires Perham departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 49 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 | 13 | 26.5% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 5 | 10.2% | |
| 4 | Wall surface: exterior | 4 | 8.2% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 7 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Maintenance shop or area, paint shop or area | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 9 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 12.2% |
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 Perham mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 25 | 51.0% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 8 | 16.3% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 10.2% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Candle | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 4.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Perham departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $125,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $75,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Perham sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 30,371 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 | 24.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,855 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 1,800 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,725 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 1,593 | 19.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,520 | 31.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,185 | 39.2 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,155 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,122 | 39.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,000 | 42.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 990 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 950 | 43.1 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 | 56573 | 194 |
Six Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Perham. 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.