In 2025, fire departments serving Mendon responded to 22 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K 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 77% of all calls.
May peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
95 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $98K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 24 | — | |
| 2022 | 17 | -29.2% | |
| 2023 | 15 | -11.8% | |
| 2024 | 17 | +13.3% | |
| 2025 | 22 | +29.4% |
For the 4 building fires Mendon departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 10 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 | 2 | 20.0% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 2 | 20.0% | |
| 3 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 1 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Structural area, other | 1 | 10.0% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 10.0% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 1 | 10.0% | |
| 7 | Wildland, woods | 1 | 10.0% | |
| 8 | Multiple areas | 1 | 10.0% |
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 Mendon mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 4 | 40.0% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 2 | 20.0% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 20.0% | |
| 4 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 1 | 10.0% | |
| 5 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 10.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Mendon departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Mendon sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,154 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 154 | 24.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Equipment and vehicle use | 119 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 105 | 31.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 66 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 52 | 30.6 mi | |
| 1996 | Equipment and vehicle use | 51 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 43 | 49.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 42 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Smoking | 41 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 49.7 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 40 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Fireworks | 40 | 20.3 mi |
Top 2 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 Mendon. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Mendon.
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.