Red Flag Warnings Blanket Five Northern Rockies and Plains States
Critical fire weather triggered Red Flag Warnings across Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and the Dakotas on Sept. 10, capping an active season in the region.
MTWYIDND
In 2025, fire departments serving Pierre responded to 32 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $10K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 65% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
238 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $3.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 64 | — | |
| 2022 | 50 | -21.9% | |
| 2023 | 32 | -36.0% | |
| 2024 | 60 | +87.5% | |
| 2025 | 32 | -46.7% |
For the 5 building fires Pierre 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 11 | 22.4% | |
| 2 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 4 | 8.2% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 4 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Wall assembly | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 7 | Undetermined | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 9 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 13 | 26.5% |
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 Pierre mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 20 | 40.8% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 8.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Pierre departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $4,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Pierre sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 98,907 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Natural | 35,000 | 31.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 25,000 | 35.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 5,000 | 34.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 3,500 | 27.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 3,300 | 12.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,465 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 2,185 | 15.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,093 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,950 | 24.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 1,800 | 10.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,790 | 49.1 mi |
Top 2 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six South Dakota cities with population within ±25% of Pierre. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Pierre.
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.