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.
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In 2025, fire departments serving Victor responded to 37 fire and hazmat incidents . 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 67% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
156 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $2K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 37 | — | |
| 2022 | 24 | -35.1% | |
| 2023 | 32 | +33.3% | |
| 2024 | 26 | -18.8% | |
| 2025 | 37 | +42.3% |
For the 6 building fires Victor departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 66 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 | Outside area, other | 18 | 27.3% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 10.6% | |
| 3 | Wildland, woods | 5 | 7.6% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 5 | 7.6% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 6.1% | |
| 7 | Other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 14 | 21.2% |
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 Victor mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 35 | 53.0% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 6 | 9.1% | |
| 3 | Lightning | 5 | 7.6% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 9.1% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Victor sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 280,901 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Recreation and ceremony | 61,522 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 52,512 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 34,313 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 20,825 | 33.2 mi | |
| 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 17,588 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 9,800 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 9,670 | 35.9 mi | |
| 1994 | Natural | 8,482 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 6,600 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2007 | Fireworks | 6,224 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 5,429 | 32.7 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 4,538 | 48.0 mi |
Top 3 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Idaho cities with population within ±25% of Victor. 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.