In 2025, fire departments serving Columbiaville responded to 59 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $220K 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 66% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
236 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.4M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 33 | — | |
| 2022 | 57 | +72.7% | |
| 2023 | 54 | -5.3% | |
| 2024 | 33 | -38.9% | |
| 2025 | 59 | +78.8% |
For the 14 building fires Columbiaville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 69 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 | 22 | 31.9% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 10.1% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 6 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 5.8% | |
| 5 | Exterior, exposed surface | 4 | 5.8% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Wall assembly | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 14 | 20.3% |
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 Columbiaville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 34 | 49.3% | |
| 2 | Radiated heat from another fire | 12 | 17.4% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 6 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 4.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Columbiaville departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $220,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $218,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $3,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,200 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $500 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Columbiaville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,954 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 | 32.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 257 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 143 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 116 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 100 | 47.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 70 | 32.8 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 67 | 34.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Smoking | 64 | 10.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 63 | 32.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 61 | 36.8 mi | |
| 1994 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 47.9 mi | |
| 1994 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 26.8 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 Columbiaville. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Columbiaville.
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.