In 2025, fire departments serving Montague responded to 39 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K 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 77% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
211 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $769K cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 45 | — | |
| 2022 | 27 | -40.0% | |
| 2023 | 57 | +111.1% | |
| 2024 | 43 | -24.6% | |
| 2025 | 39 | -9.3% |
For the 11 building fires Montague departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 48 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 | 18 | 37.5% | |
| 2 | Other | 7 | 14.6% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 10.4% |
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 Montague mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 24 | 50.0% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 10.4% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 4 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 4 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 6.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Montague departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $135,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Chimney or flue fire, confined to chimney or flue | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Montague sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,221 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 910 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 275 | 13.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 175 | 13.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 162 | 34.8 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 151 | 11.3 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 118 | 45.2 mi | |
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 107 | 21.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 106 | 14.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 105 | 33.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 105 | 33.5 mi | |
| 1994 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 36.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 96 | 41.8 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 49437 | 211 |
Six Michigan cities with population within ±25% of Montague. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Montague.
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.