In 2025, fire departments serving Algonquin responded to 165 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $350K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 76% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Mar dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
750 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $2.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 141 | — | |
| 2022 | 160 | +13.5% | |
| 2023 | 119 | -25.6% | |
| 2024 | 165 | +38.7% | |
| 2025 | 165 | +0.0% |
For the 32 building fires Algonquin departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 111 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 | 22 | 19.8% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 10 | 9.0% | |
| 3 | Other | 9 | 8.1% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 8 | 7.2% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 6.3% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 5.4% | |
| 7 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 4 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Exterior, exposed surface | 4 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 3.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 33 | 29.7% |
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 Algonquin mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 57 | 51.4% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 13 | 11.7% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 9 | 8.1% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 5.4% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 4 | 3.6% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 3 | 2.7% | |
| 7 | Lightning | 3 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 10 | 9.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Algonquin departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $350,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $325,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $15,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Algonquin sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,341 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 750 | 30.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 29.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 46.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 33.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 14.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 76 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 12.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 37.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 46.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 14.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 49.4 mi |
Top 6 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Illinois cities with population within ±25% of Algonquin. 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.