In 2025, fire departments serving Breese responded to 48 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $60K 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 63% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
200 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.3M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 29 | — | |
| 2022 | 44 | +51.7% | |
| 2023 | 41 | -6.8% | |
| 2024 | 38 | -7.3% | |
| 2025 | 48 | +26.3% |
For the 8 building fires Breese departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 45 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 | 12 | 26.7% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 10 | 22.2% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 17.8% | |
| 4 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 5 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 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 Breese mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 28 | 62.2% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Lightning | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Breese departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $60,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $28,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $13,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $4,000 | Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $4,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Breese sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,640 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 225 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 160 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 150 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 43.6 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 16.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 29.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 33.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 39.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 25.5 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 Breese. 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.