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 West Fargo responded to 108 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $55K 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 64% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
695 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $4.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 125 | — | |
| 2022 | 140 | +12.0% | |
| 2023 | 157 | +12.1% | |
| 2024 | 165 | +5.1% | |
| 2025 | 108 | -34.5% |
For the 13 building fires West Fargo departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 215 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 | 45 | 20.9% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 29 | 13.5% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 25 | 11.6% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 22 | 10.2% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 19 | 8.8% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 12 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 10 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 6 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Wildland, woods | 6 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 4 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 37 | 17.2% |
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 West Fargo mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 97 | 45.1% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 32 | 14.9% | |
| 3 | Fireworks | 11 | 5.1% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 8 | 3.7% | |
| 5 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 8 | 3.7% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 7 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 6 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 5 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 30 | 14.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by West Fargo departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $55,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,500 | Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,200 | Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,120 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $600 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $500 | Fire in portable building, fixed location | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. West Fargo sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 23,590 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,855 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,425 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 1,540 | 35.7 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 1,381 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,200 | 26.3 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,155 | 21.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,122 | 42.9 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 990 | 41.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 950 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 943 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 927 | 44.8 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 910 | 33.7 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 | 58078 | 695 |
Six North Dakota cities with population within ±25% of West Fargo. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in West Fargo.
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.