In 2025, fire departments serving Britton responded to 27 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 85% of all calls.
Dec peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
189 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $607K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 40 | — | |
| 2022 | 26 | -35.0% | |
| 2023 | 64 | +146.2% | |
| 2024 | 32 | -50.0% | |
| 2025 | 27 | -15.6% |
For the 10 building fires Britton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 45 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 17 | 37.8% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 8 | 17.8% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 5 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 6 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 7 | Other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Computer room, control room or center | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 11.1% |
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 Britton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Match | 18 | 40.0% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 13 | 28.9% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 5 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 6 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Fireworks | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Britton departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $60,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $33,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1 | Trash or rubbish fire, contained | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Britton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,536 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 300 | 31.1 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 142 | 43.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 100 | 41.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 98 | 18.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 96 | 30.8 mi | |
| 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 16.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 77 | 12.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 69 | 24.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 50 | 36.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 45 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 42 | 32.7 mi |
Top 2 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 Britton. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Britton.
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.