In 2025, fire departments serving Buckley responded to 54 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K 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 65% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
178 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.1M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 40 | — | |
| 2022 | 26 | -35.0% | |
| 2023 | 24 | -7.7% | |
| 2024 | 34 | +41.7% | |
| 2025 | 54 | +58.8% |
For the 11 building fires Buckley departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 37 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 | 10 | 27.0% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 13.5% | |
| 3 | Structural area, other | 3 | 8.1% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 3 | 8.1% | |
| 5 | Other | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 8 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 9 | Interior stairway or ramp | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 16.2% |
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 Buckley mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 21 | 56.8% | |
| 2 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 4 | 10.8% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 7 | Fireworks | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Match | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Chemical, natural heat source, other | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 5.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Buckley departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $250,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $100,000 | Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $25,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $2,000 | Grass fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Buckley sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 5,875 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 1,040 | 41.0 mi | |
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 910 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 817 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 764 | 21.2 mi | |
| 1995 | Natural | 200 | 34.0 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 200 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 153 | 45.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 152 | 35.4 mi | |
| 1994 | Debris and open burning | 148 | 22.8 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 140 | 6.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 133 | 22.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 118 | 37.7 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 Buckley. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Buckley.
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.