In 2025, fire departments serving Barrington responded to 78 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $1K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Chemical spill or leak lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 68% of all calls.
May peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
422 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $412K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 128 | — | |
| 2022 | 74 | -42.2% | |
| 2023 | 87 | +17.6% | |
| 2024 | 55 | -36.8% | |
| 2025 | 78 | +41.8% |
For the 9 building fires Barrington departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 36 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 | 10 | 27.8% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 8 | 22.2% | |
| 3 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 11.1% |
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 Barrington mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 13 | 36.1% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | Fireworks | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 11.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Barrington departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000 | Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Barrington sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,340 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 | 23.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 23.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 180 | 50.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 33.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 14.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 76 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 20.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 41.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 17.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 26.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 49 | 12.5 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 Barrington. 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.