In 2025, fire departments serving Hamel responded to 12 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 83% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
49 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $380K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 7 | — | |
| 2022 | 11 | +57.1% | |
| 2023 | 10 | -9.1% | |
| 2024 | 9 | -10.0% | |
| 2025 | 12 | +33.3% |
For the 4 building fires Hamel 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 28.6% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 19.0% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 4 | Other | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 5 | Function area, other | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Fuel tank, fuel line | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 10 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 9.5% |
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 Hamel mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 10 | 47.6% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 4.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Hamel departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $3,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $3,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $3,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Hamel sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,644 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,475 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 43.2 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 38.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 21.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 30.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 32.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 36.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 20.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 30.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 27.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 41.7 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 62046 | 49 |
Six Illinois cities with population within ±25% of Hamel. 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.