ZIP 50261 recorded 59 fire and hazmat incidents in 2025, 150 across 2021–2025. Primary county: Dallas County, IA. FEMA NRI rates wildfire risk here as Moderate.
150 incidents from 2021 through 2025 inside this ZIP.
| Year | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 17 | |
| 2022 | 16 | |
| 2023 | 16 | |
| 2024 | 42 | |
| 2025 | 59 |
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Aggregated across all 5 years inside this ZIP.
Top 5 NFIRS incident types for ZIP 50261 across 2021–2025.
| # | Incident type | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | 27 | 18.0% | |
| 2 | Grass fire | 23 | 15.3% | |
| 3 | Building fires | 15 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) | 14 | 9.3% | |
| 5 | Passenger vehicle fire | 11 | 7.3% |
For the 7 building fires reported here in 2025, here's how investigators classified ignition cause.
NFIRS Area of Origin for ZIP 50261 fires across 2021–2025.
| # | Area of origin | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 9 | 28.1% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 18.8% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 5 | 15.6% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 5 | Multiple areas | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Corridor, mall | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | All other areas | 4 | 12.5% |
NFIRS HEAT_SOURC code — the physical thing that started the fire.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 14 | 43.8% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 15.6% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Fireworks | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | All other sources | 4 | 12.5% |
Largest single-incident losses in ZIP 50261 across 2021–2025. These 7 fires alone account for 102% of the ZIP's 2025 reported total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Year | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | 2025 | Major |
| 2 | $400,000 | Building fires | 2025 | Major |
| 3 | $300,000 | Building fires | 2025 | Major |
| 4 | $50,000 | Building fires | 2025 | Significant |
| 5 | $35,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | 2021 | Significant |
| 6 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | 2025 | Significant |
| 7 | $5,000 | Building fires | 2021 | Significant |
Some ZIPs span multiple cities. Ranked by 5-yr NFIRS incidents inside ZIP 50261.
| # | City | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Van Meter | 139 | |
| 2 | West Des Moines | 3 |
The figures above are historical. For today's air quality, fire-weather warnings, and active fires, go to the official sources.
NFIRS reports each fire incident with a 5-digit address ZIP. We aggregate those rows directly to produce ZIP-level totals — 150 incidents in this ZIP across 2021–2025. Building-fire breakdowns (Area of Origin, Heat Source, ignition cause) only count fires investigators classified beyond the basic incident report. Because NFIRS reporting is voluntary, totals are a strong indicator rather than a complete census.