In 2025, fire departments serving Imlay City responded to 79 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $80K 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 72% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
380 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $2.3M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 90 | — | |
| 2022 | 74 | -17.8% | |
| 2023 | 57 | -23.0% | |
| 2024 | 80 | +40.4% | |
| 2025 | 79 | -1.2% |
For the 10 building fires Imlay City 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 16 | 23.2% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 9 | 13.0% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 8 | 11.6% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 5 | 7.2% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 5 | 7.2% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 13 | 18.8% |
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 Imlay City mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 34 | 49.3% | |
| 2 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 7 | 10.1% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 4 | 5.8% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 5.8% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 7 | 10.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Imlay City departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $80,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Imlay City sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,320 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 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 116 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 70 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Smoking | 64 | 9.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 63 | 49.3 mi | |
| 1994 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 23.0 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 49 | 25.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Fireworks | 40 | 42.5 mi | |
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 38 | 47.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 37 | 19.1 mi |
Top 5 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 Imlay City. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Imlay City.
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.