In 2025, fire departments serving Port Austin responded to 35 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $140K 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 69% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Mar dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
202 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $200K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 62 | — | |
| 2022 | 30 | -51.6% | |
| 2023 | 36 | +20.0% | |
| 2024 | 39 | +8.3% | |
| 2025 | 35 | -10.3% |
For the 11 building fires Port Austin departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 55 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 | 13 | 23.6% | |
| 2 | Other | 7 | 12.7% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 5 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 7.3% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 8 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 14.5% |
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 Port Austin mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 26 | 47.3% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 7 | 12.7% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 6 | 10.9% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 4 | 7.3% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 5.5% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 3.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Port Austin departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $140,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Port Austin sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,379 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 531 | 38.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 335 | 46.9 mi | |
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 289 | 45.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 270 | 41.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 257 | 25.5 mi | |
| 1994 | Debris and open burning | 253 | 38.2 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 202 | 43.9 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 125 | 30.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 116 | 31.0 mi | |
| 1995 | Equipment and vehicle use | 85 | 40.9 mi | |
| 2000 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 74 | 38.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 70 | 31.8 mi |
Top 4 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 Port Austin. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Port Austin.
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.