In 2025, fire departments serving Stephenson responded to 20 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 70% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
108 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28 | — | |
| 2022 | 19 | -32.1% | |
| 2023 | 27 | +42.1% | |
| 2024 | 14 | -48.1% | |
| 2025 | 20 | +42.9% |
For the 1 building fires Stephenson departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 6 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 | 2 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 16.7% | |
| 4 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 1 | 16.7% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 1 | 16.7% |
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 Stephenson mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 2 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 16.7% | |
| 4 | Cigarette | 1 | 16.7% | |
| 5 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 16.7% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Stephenson sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,028 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 275 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 215 | 39.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 127 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 110 | 42.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 103 | 32.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 103 | 31.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 90 | 44.7 mi | |
| 1998 | Debris and open burning | 88 | 32.1 mi | |
| 1994 | Equipment and vehicle use | 87 | 49.1 mi | |
| 1994 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 84 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Other causes | 73 | 21.5 mi | |
| 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 63 | 32.0 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 | 49887 | 108 |
Six Michigan cities with population within ±25% of Stephenson. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Stephenson.
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.