In 2025, fire departments serving Effingham responded to 198 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $75K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 57% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
913 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $3.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 127 | — | |
| 2022 | 184 | +44.9% | |
| 2023 | 204 | +10.9% | |
| 2024 | 200 | -2.0% | |
| 2025 | 198 | -1.0% |
For the 21 building fires Effingham departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 292 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 | 44 | 15.1% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 40 | 13.7% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 38 | 13.0% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 27 | 9.2% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 25 | 8.6% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 20 | 6.8% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 19 | 6.5% | |
| 8 | Other | 6 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 5 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Exterior, exposed surface | 5 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 63 | 21.6% |
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 Effingham mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 126 | 43.2% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 29 | 9.9% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 24 | 8.2% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 16 | 5.5% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 11 | 3.8% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 10 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 10 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 8 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 8 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Arcing | 7 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 43 | 14.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Effingham departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 73% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $65,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $60,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $50,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $30,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $30,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $25,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Effingham sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 21 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 956 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 160 | 33.8 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 23.6 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 40.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 38.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 40.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 11.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 45.6 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 | 31.4 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 Effingham. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Effingham.
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.