In 2025, fire departments serving Chatsworth responded to 18 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Fire, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 67% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
121 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $338K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 15 | — | |
| 2022 | 21 | +40.0% | |
| 2023 | 31 | +47.6% | |
| 2024 | 36 | +16.1% | |
| 2025 | 18 | -50.0% |
For the 2 building fires Chatsworth 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 | Outside area, other | 9 | 20.0% | |
| 2 | Other | 7 | 15.6% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 8.9% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 8.9% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 4 | 8.9% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 8 | Machinery room or area; elevator machinery room | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 9 | Exterior, exposed surface | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 13.3% |
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 Chatsworth mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 35.6% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 15.6% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 7 | 15.6% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 5 | 11.1% | |
| 5 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Other static discharge | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Chatsworth departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $3,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Chatsworth sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,125 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Natural | 600 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 232 | 44.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 34.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 33.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 10.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 36.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 67 | 44.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 51 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 50 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 10.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 25.9 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 Chatsworth. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Chatsworth.
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.