In 2025, fire departments serving Inverness responded to 30 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Carbon monoxide incident lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 63% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
217 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $735K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 29 | — | |
| 2022 | 38 | +31.0% | |
| 2023 | 58 | +52.6% | |
| 2024 | 62 | +6.9% | |
| 2025 | 30 | -51.6% |
For the 2 building fires Inverness departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 27 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 | 14.8% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 14.8% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 3 | 11.1% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 3 | 11.1% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 7 | Other | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 14.8% |
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 Inverness mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 5 | 18.5% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 4 | 14.8% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 7 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Match | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 14.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Inverness departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Inverness sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,282 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 750 | 24.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 24.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 160 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 36.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 17.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 76 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 20.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 43.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 16.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 27.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 49 | 15.3 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 46 | 36.7 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 Inverness. 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.