In 2025, fire departments serving Creve Coeur responded to 66 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $20K 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 67% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
257 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $560K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 62 | — | |
| 2022 | 54 | -12.9% | |
| 2023 | 42 | -22.2% | |
| 2024 | 33 | -21.4% | |
| 2025 | 66 | +100.0% |
For the 13 building fires Creve Coeur departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 70 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 | 12.9% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 8 | 11.4% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Other | 4 | 5.7% | |
| 5 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 4 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 23 | 32.9% |
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 Creve Coeur mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 29 | 41.4% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 7 | 10.0% | |
| 3 | Chemical reaction | 7 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 4 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Match | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Arcing | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 5.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Creve Coeur departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Creve Coeur sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,816 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 | 375 | 22.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 250 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 15.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 110 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 36.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 31.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 51 | 32.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 43.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 45 | 33.1 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 61610 | 257 |
Six Illinois cities with population within ±25% of Creve Coeur. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Creve Coeur.
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.