In 2025, fire departments serving Marlette responded to 43 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $150K 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 63% of all calls.
Nov peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
215 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.1M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 30 | — | |
| 2022 | 56 | +86.7% | |
| 2023 | 51 | -8.9% | |
| 2024 | 35 | -31.4% | |
| 2025 | 43 | +22.9% |
For the 6 building fires Marlette departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 46 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 | 20 | 43.5% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 13.0% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Office | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 13.0% |
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 Marlette mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 33 | 71.7% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 4 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Marlette departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $23,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $3,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Marlette sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,604 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 | 35.3 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 257 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 116 | 23.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 70 | 20.7 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 67 | 34.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 66 | 42.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Smoking | 64 | 15.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 63 | 34.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 61 | 40.1 mi | |
| 1994 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 15.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 35.7 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 49 | 47.3 mi |
Top 6 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 Marlette. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Marlette.
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.