In 2025, fire departments serving Breckenridge responded to 15 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 80% of all calls.
Dec peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
98 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $5K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 22 | — | |
| 2022 | 21 | -4.5% | |
| 2023 | 17 | -19.0% | |
| 2024 | 23 | +35.3% | |
| 2025 | 15 | -34.8% |
For the 4 building fires Breckenridge 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 | 16 | 48.5% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 9.1% | |
| 3 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 6 | Storage area, other | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 7 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Ceiling & floor assembly, crawl space b/t stories | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 9.1% |
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 Breckenridge mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 30 | 90.9% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 3 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 3.0% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Breckenridge sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,387 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 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 191 | 31.5 mi | |
| 2004 | Natural | 186 | 29.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 178 | 47.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 155 | 22.0 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 150 | 47.2 mi | |
| 1994 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 92 | 17.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 39.7 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 70 | 23.4 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 67 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 63 | 43.2 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 Breckenridge. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Breckenridge.
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.