In 2025, fire departments serving Cedar Springs responded to 160 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 68% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
762 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $3.4M cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 158 | — | |
| 2022 | 144 | -8.9% | |
| 2023 | 152 | +5.6% | |
| 2024 | 148 | -2.6% | |
| 2025 | 160 | +8.1% |
For the 16 building fires Cedar Springs departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 149 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 | Outside area, other | 24 | 16.1% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 22 | 14.8% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 21 | 14.1% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 19 | 12.8% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 6 | 4.0% | |
| 6 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 5 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Other | 4 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 4 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 37 | 24.8% |
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 Cedar Springs mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 64 | 43.0% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 18 | 12.1% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 9 | 6.0% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 8 | 5.4% | |
| 5 | Cigarette lighter | 8 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 5 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 5 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Match | 4 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 20 | 13.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Cedar Springs departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 98% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $300,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Outside storage fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $8,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $4,000 | Outside storage fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Cedar Springs sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,582 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 910 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 275 | 29.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 191 | 31.3 mi | |
| 2010 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 175 | 32.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 162 | 13.8 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 151 | 34.2 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 150 | 15.9 mi | |
| 1996 | Equipment and vehicle use | 119 | 41.7 mi | |
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 107 | 22.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 106 | 34.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 105 | 14.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 105 | 14.1 mi |
Top 8 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 Cedar Springs. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Cedar Springs.
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.