In 2025, fire departments serving Leland responded to 25 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K 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 68% of all calls.
Nov peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
108 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.1M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 22 | — | |
| 2022 | 16 | -27.3% | |
| 2023 | 18 | +12.5% | |
| 2024 | 27 | +50.0% | |
| 2025 | 25 | -7.4% |
For the 6 building fires Leland departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 33 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 | 7 | 21.2% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 7 | 21.2% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Structural area, other | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 7 | Outside area, other | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 8 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Wall assembly | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 15.2% |
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 Leland mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 48.5% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 9.1% | |
| 3 | Match | 3 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Fireworks | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 7 | Radiated heat from another fire | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 3.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Leland departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $120,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $800 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $500 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $100 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Leland sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,662 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Natural | 600 | 33.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 232 | 36.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 210 | 21.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 28.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 110 | 31.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 33.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 39.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 32.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 32.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 67 | 36.4 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 Leland. 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.