In 2025, fire departments serving Assumption responded to 37 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 81% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
142 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 23 | — | |
| 2022 | 26 | +13.0% | |
| 2023 | 35 | +34.6% | |
| 2024 | 21 | -40.0% | |
| 2025 | 37 | +76.2% |
For the 2 building fires Assumption departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 31 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 | 20 | 64.5% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 6 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Outside area, other | 1 | 3.2% |
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 Assumption mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 25 | 80.6% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 5 | Cigarette | 1 | 3.2% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Assumption sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,391 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 27.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 160 | 11.1 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 15.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 33.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 27.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 30.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 33.0 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 Assumption. 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.