In 2025, fire departments serving Lakemoor responded to 47 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $75K 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 70% of all calls.
May peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
244 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.3M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 39 | — | |
| 2022 | 68 | +74.4% | |
| 2023 | 40 | -41.2% | |
| 2024 | 50 | +25.0% | |
| 2025 | 47 | -6.0% |
For the 12 building fires Lakemoor departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 29 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 | 24.1% | |
| 2 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Closet | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 8 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 9 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 13.8% |
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 Lakemoor mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 37.9% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Arcing | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Candle | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 6.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Lakemoor departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $600 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Lakemoor sits above 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 | 20.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 19.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 200 | 37.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 180 | 37.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 20.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 1.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 76 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 25.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 27.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 27.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 50 | 48.1 mi |
Top 5 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 Lakemoor. 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.