In 2025, fire departments serving Flanagan responded to 17 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $5K 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 82% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
72 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $150K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 17 | — | |
| 2022 | 11 | -35.3% | |
| 2023 | 10 | -9.1% | |
| 2024 | 17 | +70.0% | |
| 2025 | 17 | +0.0% |
For the 5 building fires Flanagan departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 21 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 | 5 | 23.8% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 4 | 19.0% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 4 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 5 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Structural area, other | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 10 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 14.3% |
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 Flanagan mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 5 | 23.8% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 3 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 14.3% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 7 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Lightning | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 10 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 1 | 4.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Flanagan departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $4,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Flanagan sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,550 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Natural | 600 | 44.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 232 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 210 | 32.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 36.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 39.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 110 | 26.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 39.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 20.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 42.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 67 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 19.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 26.7 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 | 61740 | 72 |
Six Illinois cities with population within ±25% of Flanagan. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Flanagan.
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.