In 2025, fire departments serving Libertyville responded to 209 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $450K 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 53% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
1,054 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $2.9M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 236 | — | |
| 2022 | 185 | -21.6% | |
| 2023 | 192 | +3.8% | |
| 2024 | 232 | +20.8% | |
| 2025 | 209 | -9.9% |
For the 25 building fires Libertyville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 153 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 | 34 | 22.2% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 22 | 14.4% | |
| 3 | Other | 19 | 12.4% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 18 | 11.8% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 10 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 6 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 5 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 3 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 29 | 19.0% |
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 Libertyville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 72 | 47.1% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 19 | 12.4% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 14 | 9.2% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 11 | 7.2% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 7 | 4.6% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 6 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 3 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 3 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 10 | 6.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Libertyville departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $450,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $60,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $7,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Libertyville 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 | 11.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 10.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 200 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 180 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 26.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 13.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 76 | 38.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 32.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 30.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 13.8 mi |
Top 4 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 Libertyville. 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.