In 2025, fire departments serving Kalkaska responded to 68 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $40K 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 66% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
445 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $376K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 111 | — | |
| 2022 | 95 | -14.4% | |
| 2023 | 87 | -8.4% | |
| 2024 | 84 | -3.4% | |
| 2025 | 68 | -19.0% |
For the 20 building fires Kalkaska departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 51 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 | 12 | 23.5% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 10 | 19.6% | |
| 3 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 4 | 7.8% | |
| 4 | Other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 10 | Outside area, other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 21.6% |
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 Kalkaska mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 22 | 43.1% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 6 | 11.8% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 7.8% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 7.8% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 4 | 7.8% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 3.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Kalkaska departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Kalkaska sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 25,262 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 | 8,586 | 40.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,250 | 31.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,900 | 29.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,557 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1,345 | 25.3 mi | |
| 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,238 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 1,040 | 17.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 844 | 29.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 817 | 18.3 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 778 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 764 | 48.2 mi | |
| 1992 | Natural | 687 | 46.8 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 Kalkaska. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
4 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Kalkaska.
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.