In 2025, fire departments serving Frankfort responded to 73 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $500K 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 82% of all calls.
Dec peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
330 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $752K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 69 | — | |
| 2022 | 79 | +14.5% | |
| 2023 | 56 | -29.1% | |
| 2024 | 53 | -5.4% | |
| 2025 | 73 | +37.7% |
For the 4 building fires Frankfort departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 20 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 | 5 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 20.0% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 10.0% | |
| 5 | Exterior, exposed surface | 2 | 10.0% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 10.0% | |
| 7 | Function area, other | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 8 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 9 | Wall assembly | 1 | 5.0% |
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 Frankfort mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 4 | 20.0% | |
| 3 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 15.0% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 10.0% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 10.0% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 7 | Candle | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 9 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 5.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Frankfort departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $500 | Arcing, shorted electrical equipment | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Frankfort sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,678 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 | 764 | 33.7 mi | |
| 1995 | Natural | 200 | 37.2 mi | |
| 1994 | Debris and open burning | 148 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 140 | 23.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 133 | 39.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 118 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 115 | 36.5 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 105 | 39.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 89 | 29.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 79 | 44.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Recreation and ceremony | 70 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 69 | 13.1 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 Frankfort. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Frankfort.
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.