In 2025, fire departments serving Carrollton responded to 23 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $1K 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 57% of all calls.
Jan peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
121 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $473K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21 | — | |
| 2022 | 27 | +28.6% | |
| 2023 | 19 | -29.6% | |
| 2024 | 31 | +63.2% | |
| 2025 | 23 | -25.8% |
For the 2 building fires Carrollton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 52 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 | 22 | 42.3% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 8 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 9.6% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 4 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 6 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Other | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 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 Carrollton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 41 | 78.8% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 9.6% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 1 | 1.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Carrollton departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Carrollton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 5,040 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 | 20.8 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 1,050 | 32.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 835 | 48.5 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 48.5 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 48.5 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 140 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 140 | 25.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 20.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 32.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 96 | 22.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 20.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 30.4 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 Carrollton. 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.