In 2025, fire departments serving Brimfield responded to 37 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K 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 70% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
147 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $322K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28 | — | |
| 2022 | 21 | -25.0% | |
| 2023 | 28 | +33.3% | |
| 2024 | 33 | +17.9% | |
| 2025 | 37 | +12.1% |
For the 9 building fires Brimfield departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 51 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 | 23 | 45.1% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 17.6% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 7.8% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Egress/exit, other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 5.9% |
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 Brimfield mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 34 | 66.7% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 3 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Brimfield departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Brimfield sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,798 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 | 375 | 31.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 250 | 37.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 4.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 110 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 36.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 51 | 39.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 45 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 40 | 37.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 37.6 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 37 | 35.4 mi |
Top 5 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 Brimfield. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Brimfield.
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.