In 2025, fire departments serving Long Grove responded to 88 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $1.5M 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 63% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
430 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $2.8M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 92 | — | |
| 2022 | 76 | -17.4% | |
| 2023 | 84 | +10.5% | |
| 2024 | 90 | +7.1% | |
| 2025 | 88 | -2.2% |
For the 21 building fires Long Grove departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 35 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 | 11 | 31.4% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 4 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 5 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 14.3% |
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 Long Grove mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 45.7% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 17.1% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Sunlight | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Conducted heat from another fire | 1 | 2.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Long Grove departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,500,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $450,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $6,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $6,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $1,300 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Long Grove sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,515 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 | 17.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 16.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 200 | 47.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 180 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 31.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 15.5 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 76 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 27.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 41.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 24.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 20.2 mi |
Top 7 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 Long Grove. 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.