In 2025, fire departments serving Georgetown responded to 69 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 71% of all calls.
May peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
327 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $90K cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48 | — | |
| 2022 | 54 | +12.5% | |
| 2023 | 78 | +44.4% | |
| 2024 | 78 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 69 | -11.5% |
For the 17 building fires Georgetown departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 94 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 | 31 | 33.0% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 11 | 11.7% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 10 | 10.6% | |
| 4 | Other | 9 | 9.6% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 7.4% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 3 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Service facilities, other | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 1.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 13 | 13.8% |
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 Georgetown mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 54 | 57.4% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 8 | 8.5% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 4.3% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 3.2% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Molten, hot material | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 13 | 13.8% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Georgetown sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 17 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 695 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 37.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 19.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 50 | 31.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 36.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 41.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 35 | 31.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 | 17.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 20 | 38.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 22.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 15 | 17.2 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 Georgetown. 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.