In 2025, fire departments serving Pine River responded to 37 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $1.0M 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 81% of all calls.
May peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
144 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $3.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 41 | — | |
| 2022 | 23 | -43.9% | |
| 2023 | 23 | +0.0% | |
| 2024 | 20 | -13.0% | |
| 2025 | 37 | +85.0% |
For the 10 building fires Pine River departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 42 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 | 31.0% | |
| 2 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Corridor, mall | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Egress/exit, other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 26.2% |
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 Pine River mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 22 | 52.4% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 4 | 9.5% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 9.5% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 4.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Pine River departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $450,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $350,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 4 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $2,500 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $100 | Light ballast breakdown | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Pine River sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 23,106 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 | 38.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,725 | 36.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,520 | 26.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,260 | 28.9 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,242 | 35.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,150 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 850 | 44.6 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 725 | 44.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 679 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 663 | 43.3 mi | |
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 640 | 47.3 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 600 | 40.2 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 | 56474 | 144 |
Six Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Pine River. 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.