In 2025, fire departments serving Bay Port responded to 18 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 89% of all calls.
Sep peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
107 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $225K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 42 | — | |
| 2022 | 20 | -52.4% | |
| 2023 | 14 | -30.0% | |
| 2024 | 13 | -7.1% | |
| 2025 | 18 | +38.5% |
For the 8 building fires Bay Port 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 | 6 | 18.2% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 5 | 15.2% | |
| 3 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Structural area, other | 3 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 9.1% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 7 | Corridor, mall | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 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 Bay Port mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 7 | 21.2% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 18.2% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 18.2% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 12.1% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 7 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Arcing | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Match | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 3.0% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Bay Port sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,747 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 531 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 335 | 23.5 mi | |
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 289 | 32.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 270 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 257 | 3.4 mi | |
| 1994 | Debris and open burning | 253 | 27.3 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 202 | 30.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Natural | 186 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 178 | 43.3 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 125 | 35.5 mi | |
| 1994 | Equipment and vehicle use | 120 | 47.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 116 | 31.2 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 Michigan cities with population within ±25% of Bay Port. 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.