In 2025, fire departments serving Charlevoix responded to 74 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Vehicle accident, general cleanup lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 73% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
497 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $8.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 113 | — | |
| 2022 | 117 | +3.5% | |
| 2023 | 89 | -23.9% | |
| 2024 | 104 | +16.9% | |
| 2025 | 74 | -28.8% |
For the 2 building fires Charlevoix departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 74 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 | Other | 26 | 35.1% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 12 | 16.2% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 9 | 12.2% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 8.1% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Function area, other | 4 | 5.4% | |
| 7 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 5.4% |
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 Charlevoix mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 29 | 39.2% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 20 | 27.0% | |
| 3 | Match | 6 | 8.1% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 2.7% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Charlevoix sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 6,940 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,250 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,900 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 817 | 46.7 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 484 | 45.4 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 250 | 45.5 mi | |
| 1994 | Debris and open burning | 148 | 39.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 115 | 48.2 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 105 | 45.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 83 | 4.7 mi | |
| 1993 | Debris and open burning | 81 | 29.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 72 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 62 | 48.5 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 Charlevoix. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Charlevoix.
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.