In 2025, fire departments serving Forsyth responded to 23 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $45K 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 69% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
161 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $203K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 24 | — | |
| 2022 | 39 | +62.5% | |
| 2023 | 34 | -12.8% | |
| 2024 | 41 | +20.6% | |
| 2025 | 23 | -43.9% |
For the 1 building fires Forsyth 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 | Undetermined | 4 | 19.0% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 14.3% | |
| 4 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 14.3% | |
| 5 | Exterior, exposed surface | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 7 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 10 | Wildland, woods | 1 | 4.8% |
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 Forsyth mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 10 | 47.6% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Match | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Radiated heat from another fire | 1 | 4.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Forsyth departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $45,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Forsyth sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,178 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 | 29.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 160 | 39.6 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 37.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 26.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 34.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 48.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 33.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 26.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 50 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 23.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 35 | 40.4 mi |
Top 2 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 Forsyth. 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.