In 2025, fire departments serving Johnsburg responded to 45 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $220K 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 67% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
164 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $727K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36 | — | |
| 2022 | 28 | -22.2% | |
| 2023 | 28 | +0.0% | |
| 2024 | 27 | -3.6% | |
| 2025 | 45 | +66.7% |
For the 17 building fires Johnsburg departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 32 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 | Undetermined | 7 | 21.9% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 8 | Conduit, pipe, utility, or ventilation shaft | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 9 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 10 | Other | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 15.6% |
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 Johnsburg mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 34.4% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 18.8% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Molten, hot material | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Fireworks | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 3.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Johnsburg departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $220,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $175,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $2,500 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $750 | Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Johnsburg sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,564 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 | 22.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 21.3 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 200 | 34.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 180 | 34.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 17.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 2.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 76 | 29.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 27.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 23.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 32.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 30.2 mi | |
| 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 50 | 44.5 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 Johnsburg. 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.