In 2025, fire departments serving Coal City responded to 107 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $5K 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 73% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
417 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $395K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 83 | — | |
| 2022 | 67 | -19.3% | |
| 2023 | 69 | +3.0% | |
| 2024 | 91 | +31.9% | |
| 2025 | 107 | +17.6% |
For the 17 building fires Coal City departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 34 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 | 10 | 29.4% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 4 | 11.8% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 4 | Storage area, other | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 5 | Other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 8 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 14.7% |
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 Coal City mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 19 | 55.9% | |
| 2 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 3 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 4 | Molten, hot material | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 5.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Coal City departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $200 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Coal City sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,589 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Natural | 600 | 4.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 232 | 8.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 210 | 37.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 160 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 3.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 110 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 4.3 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 38.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 3.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 67 | 8.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 46.5 mi |
Top 4 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 Coal City. 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.