In 2025, fire departments serving Hinckley responded to 31 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $3K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Fire, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 65% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
110 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $943K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 23 | — | |
| 2022 | 22 | -4.3% | |
| 2023 | 17 | -22.7% | |
| 2024 | 17 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 31 | +82.4% |
For the 4 building fires Hinckley departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 24 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 | 4 | 16.7% | |
| 2 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 3 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 2 | 8.3% | |
| 7 | Other | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Switchgear area, transformer vault | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 25.0% |
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 Hinckley mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 12 | 50.0% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 4 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 1 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 4.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Hinckley departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Hinckley sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,675 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Natural | 600 | 35.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 232 | 37.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 210 | 35.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 41.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 110 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 32.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 43.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 19.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 31.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 42.1 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 Hinckley. 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.