In 2025, fire departments serving Gardner responded to 116 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K 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 75% of all calls.
May peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
360 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $400K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 64 | — | |
| 2022 | 47 | -26.6% | |
| 2023 | 54 | +14.9% | |
| 2024 | 79 | +46.3% | |
| 2025 | 116 | +46.8% |
For the 20 building fires Gardner departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 39 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 | 9 | 23.1% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Other | 5 | 12.8% | |
| 4 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Outside area, other | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 12.8% |
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 Gardner mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 21 | 53.8% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 5 | 12.8% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 5 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Gardner departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Gardner sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,525 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Natural | 600 | 10.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 232 | 13.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 210 | 36.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 4.0 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 110 | 40.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 3.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 32.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 6.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 67 | 13.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 44.3 mi |
Top 8 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 Gardner. 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.