In 2025, fire departments serving Prudenville responded to 27 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 81% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
195 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $427K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 41 | — | |
| 2022 | 44 | +7.3% | |
| 2023 | 38 | -13.6% | |
| 2024 | 45 | +18.4% | |
| 2025 | 27 | -40.0% |
For the 4 building fires Prudenville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 36 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 | 5 | 13.9% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 8 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 27.8% |
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 Prudenville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 30.6% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 9 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 8.3% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Prudenville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 37,951 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 8,586 | 23.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 5,818 | 27.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 5,200 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,250 | 38.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,900 | 35.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,557 | 6.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1,345 | 22.5 mi | |
| 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,238 | 19.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 1,040 | 25.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,035 | 36.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 844 | 30.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | 840 | 37.0 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 Prudenville. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
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.