In 2025, fire departments serving Crystal responded to 44 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $80K 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 86% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
182 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $574K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 39 | — | |
| 2022 | 30 | -23.1% | |
| 2023 | 38 | +26.7% | |
| 2024 | 31 | -18.4% | |
| 2025 | 44 | +41.9% |
For the 23 building fires Crystal departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 28 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 | 13 | 46.4% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 17.9% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 10.7% | |
| 4 | Storage area, other | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Interior stairway or ramp | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Wildland, woods | 1 | 3.6% |
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 Crystal mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 23 | 82.1% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 3 | Match | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 3.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Crystal departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 91% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $70,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $60,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $60,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $60,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Crystal sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,148 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 191 | 10.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 162 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 155 | 40.3 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 150 | 22.8 mi | |
| 1996 | Equipment and vehicle use | 119 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 105 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 105 | 39.7 mi | |
| 1994 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 20.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 96 | 37.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 92 | 23.8 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 41.5 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 70 | 14.5 mi |
Top 4 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 Crystal. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Crystal.
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.