In 2025, fire departments serving Lanark responded to 47 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $65K 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 72% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
183 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $4.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 34 | — | |
| 2022 | 44 | +29.4% | |
| 2023 | 27 | -38.6% | |
| 2024 | 31 | +14.8% | |
| 2025 | 47 | +51.6% |
For the 19 building fires Lanark 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 | 26 | 89.7% | |
| 2 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 1 | 3.4% |
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 Lanark mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 26 | 89.7% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 3 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 4 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 1 | 3.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Lanark departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $65,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $100 | Grass fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Lanark sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,662 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 640 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 617 | 40.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 38.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 265 | 17.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 32.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 195 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 33.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 34.8 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 100 | 23.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 47.7 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 43.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Natural | 75 | 26.0 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 Lanark. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Lanark.
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.