In 2025, fire departments serving Wells responded to 47 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $10K 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 75% of all calls.
Oct peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
168 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $881K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28 | — | |
| 2022 | 30 | +7.1% | |
| 2023 | 30 | +0.0% | |
| 2024 | 33 | +10.0% | |
| 2025 | 47 | +42.4% |
For the 4 building fires Wells departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 33 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 | 12 | 36.4% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 15.2% | |
| 3 | Function area, other | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Corridor, mall | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 6 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 7 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Conduit, pipe, utility, or ventilation shaft | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 18.2% |
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 Wells mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 26 | 78.8% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 9.1% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 4 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 5 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 3.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Wells departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Wells sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 5,164 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,909 | 34.3 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 400 | 40.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 290 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 225 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 23.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 177 | 16.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 40.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 120 | 33.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 60 | 45.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 55 | 18.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 43.6 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 | 56097 | 168 |
Six Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Wells. 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.