In 2025, fire departments serving Detroit responded to 13 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $60K 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 100% of all calls.
Jan peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
65 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $202K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 9 | — | |
| 2022 | 12 | +33.3% | |
| 2023 | 19 | +58.3% | |
| 2024 | 12 | -36.8% | |
| 2025 | 13 | +8.3% |
For the 8 building fires Detroit departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 8 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 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 1 | 12.5% | |
| 5 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 1 | 12.5% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 12.5% | |
| 7 | Vacant structural area | 1 | 12.5% |
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 Detroit mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arcing | 2 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 12.5% | |
| 5 | Backfire from internal combustion engine | 1 | 12.5% | |
| 6 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 12.5% | |
| 7 | Undetermined | 1 | 12.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Detroit departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $60,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Detroit sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 840 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 77 | 31.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 61 | 34.9 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 57 | 36.6 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 32.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 48 | 26.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 49.4 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 4.4 mi | |
| 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 18.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 35 | 23.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 34 | 26.6 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 33 | 45.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | 32 | 39.4 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 04929 | 65 |
Six Maine cities with population within ±25% of Detroit. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
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.