In 2025, fire departments serving Maple Park responded to 100 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $15K 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 58% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
342 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $315K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 61 | — | |
| 2022 | 68 | +11.5% | |
| 2023 | 46 | -32.4% | |
| 2024 | 67 | +45.7% | |
| 2025 | 100 | +49.3% |
For the 17 building fires Maple Park departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 121 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 35 | 28.9% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 18 | 14.9% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 17 | 14.0% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 13 | 10.7% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 4 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Other | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 19 | 15.7% |
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 Maple Park mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 56 | 46.3% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 10 | 8.3% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 7 | 5.8% | |
| 4 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 7 | 5.8% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 5.0% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 5.0% | |
| 7 | Match | 5 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 4 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 4 | 3.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 12 | 9.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Maple Park departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $6,000 | Self-propelled motor home or recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $300 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Maple Park sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,387 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Natural | 600 | 43.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 232 | 43.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 210 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 50.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 30.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 36.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 10.3 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 29.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 67 | 43.6 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 60 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 52 | 41.7 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 Illinois cities with population within ±25% of Maple Park. 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.