In 2025, fire departments serving South Rockwood responded to 16 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $175K 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 75% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
123 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $1.1M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 34 | — | |
| 2022 | 29 | -14.7% | |
| 2023 | 26 | -10.3% | |
| 2024 | 18 | -30.8% | |
| 2025 | 16 | -11.1% |
For the 6 building fires South Rockwood departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 27 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 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 18.5% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 3 | 11.1% | |
| 5 | Function area, other | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 7 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 14.8% |
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 South Rockwood mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 7 | 25.9% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 3 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 11.1% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Backfire from internal combustion engine | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 14.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by South Rockwood departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $175,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. South Rockwood sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,075 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 300 | 4.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 98 | 41.7 mi | |
| 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 14.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 77 | 16.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 69 | 24.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 49 | 41.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 42 | 3.6 mi | |
| 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | 38 | 38.8 mi | |
| 1996 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 30 | 39.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 30 | 38.6 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 | 39.5 mi |
Top 5 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 South Rockwood. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in South Rockwood.
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.