In 2025, fire departments serving Richmond responded to 20 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $35K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Grass fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 60% of all calls.
May peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
97 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.3M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20 | — | |
| 2022 | 25 | +25.0% | |
| 2023 | 17 | -32.0% | |
| 2024 | 15 | -11.8% | |
| 2025 | 20 | +33.3% |
For the 3 building fires Richmond departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 24 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 | 7 | 29.2% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 20.8% | |
| 3 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Storage area, other | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Structural area, other | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 10 | Wall assembly | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 8.3% |
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 Richmond mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 12 | 50.0% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 4.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Richmond departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $35,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1 | Water vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Richmond sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 15,242 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 1,737 | 38.9 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 1,299 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,250 | 42.3 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 830 | 37.7 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 750 | 37.6 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 710 | 40.3 mi | |
| 1993 | Arson/incendiarism | 680 | 42.9 mi | |
| 1993 | Arson/incendiarism | 640 | 45.1 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 620 | 31.1 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 600 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 520 | 42.1 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 488 | 44.6 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 Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Richmond. 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.