In 2025, fire departments serving Amboy responded to 54 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K 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 61% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
303 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $490K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 45 | — | |
| 2022 | 55 | +22.2% | |
| 2023 | 85 | +54.5% | |
| 2024 | 64 | -24.7% | |
| 2025 | 54 | -15.6% |
For the 12 building fires Amboy departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 65 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 | 26 | 40.0% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 6 | 9.2% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Other | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Exterior, exposed surface | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 13.8% |
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 Amboy mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 36 | 55.4% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 5 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 7.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Amboy departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $30,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $9,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Amboy sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,899 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 265 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 210 | 33.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 27.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 195 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 110 | 37.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 21.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 20.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 38.9 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 60 | 32.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 52 | 5.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 2.5 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 Amboy. 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.