In 2025, fire departments serving Lillian responded to 74 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Aircraft standby lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 80% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
580 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 105 | — | |
| 2022 | 128 | +21.9% | |
| 2023 | 133 | +3.9% | |
| 2024 | 140 | +5.3% | |
| 2025 | 74 | -47.1% |
For the 2 building fires Lillian departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 86 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 | 38 | 44.2% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 14 | 16.3% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 8.1% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 5.8% | |
| 5 | Other | 4 | 4.7% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 3.5% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 8.1% |
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 Lillian mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 61 | 70.9% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 5 | 5.8% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 4.7% | |
| 4 | Lightning | 3 | 3.5% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Match | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Candle | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 2.3% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Lillian sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 61,277 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,500 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,100 | 36.6 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,930 | 36.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,900 | 38.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,490 | 29.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,926 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,765 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,486 | 36.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,400 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 2,215 | 23.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,176 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,846 | 10.0 mi |
Top 2 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Alabama cities with population within ±25% of Lillian. 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.