In 2025, fire departments serving Interlochen responded to 78 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $260K 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 65% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
383 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $2.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 78 | — | |
| 2022 | 88 | +12.8% | |
| 2023 | 72 | -18.2% | |
| 2024 | 67 | -6.9% | |
| 2025 | 78 | +16.4% |
For the 15 building fires Interlochen departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 75 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 | 16 | 21.3% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 10 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 10.7% | |
| 4 | Other | 7 | 9.3% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 5 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 4.0% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 4.0% | |
| 8 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 4.0% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Structural area, other | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 16 | 21.3% |
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 Interlochen mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 36 | 48.0% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 10 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 9 | 12.0% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 3 | 4.0% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 5.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Interlochen departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $260,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $31,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $15,000 | Outside storage fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $2,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $1 | Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Interlochen sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,082 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 1,040 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 764 | 29.5 mi | |
| 1995 | Natural | 200 | 40.5 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 200 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 152 | 45.7 mi | |
| 1994 | Debris and open burning | 148 | 21.0 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 140 | 5.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 133 | 31.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 118 | 45.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 115 | 13.6 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 105 | 16.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 96 | 45.3 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 Interlochen. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Interlochen.
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.