In 2025, fire departments serving Pipestone responded to 32 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $120K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Vehicle accident, general cleanup lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 84% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
125 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 25 | — | |
| 2022 | 23 | -8.0% | |
| 2023 | 23 | +0.0% | |
| 2024 | 22 | -4.3% | |
| 2025 | 32 | +45.5% |
For the 6 building fires Pipestone departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 41 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 | 15 | 36.6% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 12.2% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 12.2% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Exterior, exposed surface | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Outside area, other | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 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 Pipestone mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 25 | 61.0% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 4 | 9.8% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Chemical, natural heat source, other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 1 | 2.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Pipestone departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $120,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $6,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $2,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $100 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Pipestone sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 8,152 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Smoking | 1,500 | 31.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 1,400 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 39.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 425 | 39.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 355 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 350 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 350 | 31.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 29.8 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 200 | 27.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 200 | 32.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 160 | 41.7 mi | |
| 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 160 | 47.0 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 | 56164 | 125 |
Six Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Pipestone. 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.