In 2025, fire departments serving Swartz Creek responded to 130 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $2.0M 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 66% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
555 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $4.8M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 110 | — | |
| 2022 | 96 | -12.7% | |
| 2023 | 97 | +1.0% | |
| 2024 | 122 | +25.8% | |
| 2025 | 130 | +6.6% |
For the 26 building fires Swartz Creek departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 97 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 | 17 | 17.5% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 15 | 15.5% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 10 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 8 | 8.2% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 7 | 7.2% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Wall surface: exterior | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 24 | 24.7% |
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 Swartz Creek mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 59 | 60.8% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 9 | 9.3% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 5.2% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Candle | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Radiated heat from another fire | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Heat source: other | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 5.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Swartz Creek departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 98% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000,000 | Fire, other | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $250,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Major | Investigated |
| 4 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $50,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $25,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Swartz Creek sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,897 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 335 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 143 | 23.5 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 142 | 38.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 100 | 26.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 96 | 49.6 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 27.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 70 | 29.5 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 67 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Smoking | 64 | 33.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 63 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 61 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 61 | 45.5 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 Swartz Creek. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Swartz Creek.
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.