In 2025, fire departments serving Mancelona responded to 30 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Hazardous condition, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 77% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
192 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $2K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 64 | — | |
| 2022 | 31 | -51.6% | |
| 2023 | 32 | +3.2% | |
| 2024 | 35 | +9.4% | |
| 2025 | 30 | -14.3% |
For the 6 building fires Mancelona departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 32 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 | 9 | 28.1% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 15.6% | |
| 3 | Function area, other | 4 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Other | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Wall assembly | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 9.4% |
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 Mancelona mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 17 | 53.1% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 3.1% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Mancelona sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 23,279 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 | 40.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,250 | 24.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,900 | 23.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1,345 | 26.4 mi | |
| 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,238 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 1,040 | 21.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 844 | 26.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 817 | 17.8 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 778 | 47.8 mi | |
| 1992 | Natural | 687 | 45.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Natural | 628 | 34.1 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 484 | 24.7 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 Mancelona. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Mancelona.
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.