In 2025, fire departments serving Gilman responded to 20 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.
Sep peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
147 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $708K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35 | — | |
| 2022 | 21 | -40.0% | |
| 2023 | 25 | +19.0% | |
| 2024 | 46 | +84.0% | |
| 2025 | 20 | -56.5% |
For the 6 building fires Gilman departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 51 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 12 | 23.5% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 8 | 15.7% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 8 | 15.7% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 13.7% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 6 | 11.8% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 3.9% |
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 Gilman mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 32 | 62.7% | |
| 2 | Heat, spark from friction | 4 | 7.8% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 5 | Molten, hot material | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Match | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Gilman departments in 2025. These 5 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 | $100,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $30,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Gilman sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,000 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Natural | 600 | 42.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 232 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 35.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 39.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 34.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 26.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 67 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 50 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 25.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 41.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 32.5 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 Gilman. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Gilman.
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.