In 2025, fire departments serving Fraser responded to 93 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $40K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 68% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
468 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $3.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 77 | — | |
| 2022 | 90 | +16.9% | |
| 2023 | 99 | +10.0% | |
| 2024 | 109 | +10.1% | |
| 2025 | 93 | -14.7% |
For the 3 building fires Fraser departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 109 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 | 20 | 18.3% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 19 | 17.4% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 15 | 13.8% | |
| 4 | Other | 4 | 3.7% | |
| 5 | Function area, other | 4 | 3.7% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 4 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Storage area, other | 3 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 29 | 26.6% |
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 Fraser mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 40 | 36.7% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 12 | 11.0% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 10 | 9.2% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 8 | 7.3% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 8 | 7.3% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 8 | 7.3% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 6 | 5.5% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 4 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 4 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 7 | 6.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Fraser departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 95% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $30,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $12,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $8,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $7,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Fraser sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,101 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 300 | 39.2 mi | |
| 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 77 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Smoking | 64 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 30.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 37.2 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 49 | 9.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 42 | 36.5 mi | |
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 38 | 39.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 37 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 33 | 36.6 mi | |
| 1996 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 30 | 32.7 mi |
Top 8 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 Fraser. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Fraser.
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.