In 2025, fire departments serving Galena responded to 46 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $300K 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 61% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
239 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $725K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48 | — | |
| 2022 | 32 | -33.3% | |
| 2023 | 58 | +81.2% | |
| 2024 | 55 | -5.2% | |
| 2025 | 46 | -16.4% |
For the 3 building fires Galena departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 75 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 19 | 25.3% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 9 | 12.0% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 10.7% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 4 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 4 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Other | 3 | 4.0% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 18 | 24.0% |
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 Galena mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 13 | 17.3% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 12 | 16.0% | |
| 3 | Cigarette lighter | 12 | 16.0% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 10 | 13.3% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 7 | 9.3% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 4 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 3 | 4.0% | |
| 9 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 6.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Galena departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $300,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Galena sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,681 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 | 617 | 43.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 265 | 36.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 11.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 165 | 35.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 130 | 40.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 125 | 37.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 100 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 26.7 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 100 | 34.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 22.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Natural | 75 | 15.2 mi |
Top 3 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 Galena. 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.