In 2025, fire departments serving Marengo responded to 121 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 58% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
627 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.9M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 126 | — | |
| 2022 | 114 | -9.5% | |
| 2023 | 132 | +15.8% | |
| 2024 | 134 | +1.5% | |
| 2025 | 121 | -9.7% |
For the 10 building fires Marengo departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 108 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 | 31.5% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 19 | 17.6% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 15 | 13.9% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 4.6% | |
| 5 | Storage area, other | 4 | 3.7% | |
| 6 | Other | 3 | 2.8% | |
| 7 | Exterior, exposed surface | 3 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Conduit, pipe, utility, or ventilation shaft | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 19 | 17.6% |
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 Marengo mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 58 | 53.7% | |
| 2 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 10 | 9.3% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 7 | 6.5% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 4.6% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 5 | 4.6% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 4 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 9 | 8.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Marengo departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 96% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $35,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $20,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $12,000 | Outside storage fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Marengo sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,552 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 | 43.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 580 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2004 | Smoking | 169 | 50.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 33.3 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 36.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 22.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 76 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 15.3 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 32.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 33.5 mi |
Top 5 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 Marengo. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Marengo.
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.