In 2025, fire departments serving Wadena responded to 35 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $45K 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 69% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
165 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $2.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 31 | — | |
| 2022 | 44 | +41.9% | |
| 2023 | 29 | -34.1% | |
| 2024 | 26 | -10.3% | |
| 2025 | 35 | +34.6% |
For the 10 building fires Wadena 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 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 6 | 14.3% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 6 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Storage area, other | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 10 | Outside area, other | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 13 | 31.0% |
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 Wadena mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 38.1% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 9.5% | |
| 4 | Cigarette | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Incendiary device | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 9.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Wadena departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $45,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1,500 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Wadena sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 20,399 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 | 26.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,725 | 12.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 1,593 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,520 | 14.1 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,260 | 42.4 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 620 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 470 | 15.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 440 | 38.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 393 | 26.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 375 | 43.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 367 | 42.1 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 360 | 22.1 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 | 56482 | 165 |
Six Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Wadena. 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.