In 2025, fire departments serving Plainwell responded to 49 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 65% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
394 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $1.5M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 93 | — | |
| 2022 | 88 | -5.4% | |
| 2023 | 85 | -3.4% | |
| 2024 | 79 | -7.1% | |
| 2025 | 49 | -38.0% |
For the 7 building fires Plainwell departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 43 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 | 13 | 30.2% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 14.0% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Multiple areas | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 23.3% |
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 Plainwell mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 21 | 48.8% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 11.6% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 5 | 11.6% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Incendiary device | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 4.7% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Plainwell sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,372 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 150 | 47.2 mi | |
| 1996 | Equipment and vehicle use | 119 | 25.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 105 | 33.2 mi | |
| 1993 | Smoking | 90 | 19.3 mi | |
| 1995 | Smoking | 71 | 22.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 66 | 16.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 57 | 31.5 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 52 | 17.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Equipment and vehicle use | 51 | 25.3 mi | |
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 26.5 mi | |
| 1994 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 26.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 43 | 29.5 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 Plainwell. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
4 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Plainwell.
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.