In 2025, fire departments serving Altamont responded to 53 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K 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 68% of all calls.
Oct peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
261 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $2.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 32 | — | |
| 2022 | 54 | +68.8% | |
| 2023 | 58 | +7.4% | |
| 2024 | 64 | +10.3% | |
| 2025 | 53 | -17.2% |
For the 20 building fires Altamont departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 83 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 24 | 28.9% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 8.4% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 6 | 7.2% | |
| 4 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 5 | 6.0% | |
| 5 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 5 | 6.0% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Wall surface: exterior | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 19 | 22.9% |
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 Altamont mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 31 | 37.3% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 11 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 7 | 8.4% | |
| 4 | Heat, spark from friction | 7 | 8.4% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 6 | 7.2% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 6.0% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 6.0% | |
| 8 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 5 | 6.0% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 3.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Altamont departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 97% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $120,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $50,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Altamont sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,063 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 160 | 28.3 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 24.3 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 28.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 28.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 29.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 18.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 39.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 35 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 35 | 39.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 34.7 mi |
Top 3 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 Altamont. 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.