In 2025, fire departments serving Middleville responded to 96 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $400K 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 66% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
471 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $2.1M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 93 | — | |
| 2022 | 85 | -8.6% | |
| 2023 | 99 | +16.5% | |
| 2024 | 98 | -1.0% | |
| 2025 | 96 | -2.0% |
For the 17 building fires Middleville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 88 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 | Outside area, other | 14 | 15.9% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 13 | 14.8% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 8 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 6 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Other | 4 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 28 | 31.8% |
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 Middleville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 34 | 38.6% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 6 | 6.8% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 6.8% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 5 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 4 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 15 | 17.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Middleville departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $125,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $80,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $3,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $1,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Middleville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,916 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 191 | 37.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 162 | 48.5 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 150 | 26.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Equipment and vehicle use | 119 | 12.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 105 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 105 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 105 | 48.5 mi | |
| 1994 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 45.3 mi | |
| 1993 | Smoking | 90 | 21.6 mi | |
| 1995 | Smoking | 71 | 27.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 66 | 28.1 mi | |
| 1994 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 60 | 33.1 mi |
Top 3 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 Middleville. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Middleville.
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.