In 2025, fire departments serving Brighton responded to 52 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $400K 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 65% of all calls.
Aug peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
212 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 34 | — | |
| 2022 | 40 | +17.6% | |
| 2023 | 39 | -2.5% | |
| 2024 | 47 | +20.5% | |
| 2025 | 52 | +10.6% |
For the 11 building fires Brighton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 104 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 | Outside area, other | 32 | 30.8% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 21 | 20.2% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 13 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Other | 10 | 9.6% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 5 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 9.6% |
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 Brighton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 53 | 51.0% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 18 | 17.3% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 5.8% | |
| 4 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 6 | 5.8% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 8 | Molten, hot material | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Match | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Arcing | 1 | 1.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 5.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Brighton departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $500 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Brighton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,990 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,475 | 18.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 140 | 46.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 38.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 47.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 96 | 43.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 47.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 2.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 18.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 47.5 mi |
Top 2 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 Brighton. 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.