In 2025, fire departments serving Cambridge responded to 43 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $600K 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.
Sep peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
186 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.6M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 34 | — | |
| 2022 | 28 | -17.6% | |
| 2023 | 34 | +21.4% | |
| 2024 | 47 | +38.2% | |
| 2025 | 43 | -8.5% |
For the 9 building fires Cambridge departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 39 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 15.4% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 5 | 12.8% | |
| 4 | Wall surface: exterior | 4 | 10.3% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 6 | Wall assembly | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Exterior, exposed surface | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Outside area, other | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 9 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 20.5% |
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 Cambridge mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arcing | 6 | 15.4% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 6 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 4 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 9 | Radiated heat from another fire | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 10 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 7 | 17.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Cambridge departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $600,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Cambridge sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 8,264 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 1,500 | 30.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,200 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 832 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 820 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 640 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 630 | 47.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 333 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 282 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 265 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 232 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 39.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 195 | 18.2 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 Cambridge. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Cambridge.
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.