In 2025, fire departments serving Lake Bluff responded to 73 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200 building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 82% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
374 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.7M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 74 | — | |
| 2022 | 49 | -33.8% | |
| 2023 | 60 | +22.4% | |
| 2024 | 118 | +96.7% | |
| 2025 | 73 | -38.1% |
For the 3 building fires Lake Bluff departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 28 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 | Outside area, other | 5 | 17.9% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 5 | 17.9% | |
| 3 | Other | 3 | 10.7% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 7 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Closet | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Maintenance shop or area, paint shop or area | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 17.9% |
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 Lake Bluff mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 9 | 32.1% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 10.7% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 10.7% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 10.7% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 7.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Lake Bluff departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200 | Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Lake Bluff sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,528 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 | 8.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 8.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 200 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 180 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 29.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 19.5 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 76 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 37.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 41.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 33.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 11.9 mi |
Top 3 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 Lake Bluff. 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.