In 2025, fire departments serving Lindenhurst responded to 56 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $482K 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 71% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
254 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021* | 17 | — | |
| 2022 | 47 | — | |
| 2023 | 56 | +19.1% | |
| 2024 | 78 | +39.3% | |
| 2025 | 56 | -28.2% |
* Well below Lindenhurst's usual volume. That almost always means one or more departments didn't submit a full year to NFIRS, not that fires dropped, so no year-over-year change is shown for it.
For the 9 building fires Lindenhurst departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 37 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 | 9 | 24.3% | |
| 2 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 5 | 13.5% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 10.8% | |
| 4 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 8.1% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 8 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 9 | Egress/exit, other | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 16.2% |
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 Lindenhurst mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 23 | 62.2% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 13.5% | |
| 3 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 4 | Radiated heat from another fire | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Chemical, natural heat source, other | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 1 | 2.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Lindenhurst departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $482,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Outside storage fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Lindenhurst sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,537 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 | 11.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 10.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 200 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 180 | 32.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 16.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 10.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 76 | 29.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 28.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 35.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 36.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 10.8 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 Lindenhurst. 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.