In 2025, fire departments serving Birch Run responded to 121 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $300K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 64% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
541 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $2.0M cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 118 | — | |
| 2022 | 104 | -11.9% | |
| 2023 | 80 | -23.1% | |
| 2024 | 118 | +47.5% | |
| 2025 | 121 | +2.5% |
For the 28 building fires Birch Run departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 131 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 33 | 25.2% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 23 | 17.6% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 10 | 7.6% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 9 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 6 | 4.6% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Structural area, other | 4 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Wall surface: exterior | 4 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 3 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 30 | 22.9% |
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 Birch Run mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 50 | 38.2% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 10 | 7.6% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 10 | 7.6% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 8 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 8 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 7 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 4 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 3 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 20 | 15.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Birch Run departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 96% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $300,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $83,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $71,900 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $20,000 | Fire in mobile prop. used as a fixed struc., other | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $12,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Birch Run sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,225 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 335 | 23.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 257 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2004 | Natural | 186 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 155 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 143 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 100 | 46.6 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 39.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 70 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 70 | 38.2 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 67 | 27.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Smoking | 64 | 30.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 63 | 24.7 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 Birch Run. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Birch Run.
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.