In 2025, fire departments serving Valentine responded to 30 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $450K 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 97% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
163 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $886K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 33 | — | |
| 2022 | 30 | -9.1% | |
| 2023 | 28 | -6.7% | |
| 2024 | 42 | +50.0% | |
| 2025 | 30 | -28.6% |
For the 6 building fires Valentine departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 28 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 | 7 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Wall assembly | 4 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Ceiling & floor assembly, crawl space b/t stories | 3 | 10.7% | |
| 4 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 14.3% |
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 Valentine mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arcing | 8 | 28.6% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 6 | 21.4% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 17.9% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 3.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Valentine departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $450,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $75,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Valentine sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 243,680 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Natural | 66,745 | 25.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 45,767 | 31.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 43,639 | 31.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 17,500 | 34.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 14,453 | 25.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 13,903 | 26.9 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 4,951 | 26.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,972 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | 3,650 | 49.0 mi | |
| 1998 | Debris and open burning | 3,600 | 12.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,100 | 0.9 mi | |
| 2002 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 3,004 | 28.7 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 | 69201 | 163 |
Six Nebraska cities with population within ±25% of Valentine. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Valentine.
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.