In 2025, fire departments serving Clinton responded to 189 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K 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 62% of all calls.
Oct peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
869 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $1.4M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 212 | — | |
| 2022 | 112 | -47.2% | |
| 2023 | 212 | +89.3% | |
| 2024 | 144 | -32.1% | |
| 2025 | 189 | +31.2% |
For the 46 building fires Clinton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 82 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 | 13 | 15.9% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 9 | 11.0% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 8 | 9.8% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 4 | 4.9% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Other | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Roof surface: exterior | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Fuel tank, fuel line | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 29 | 35.4% |
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 Clinton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 37 | 45.1% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 12 | 14.6% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 11 | 13.4% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 5 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 6 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 3 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 6.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Clinton departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $70,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $1,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Clinton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,150 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 | 200 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 21.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 36.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 38.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 11.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 50 | 39.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 35.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 43.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 40 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 36.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 41.5 mi |
Top 6 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 Clinton. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Clinton.
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.