In 2025, fire departments serving Marseilles responded to 101 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $300K 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 72% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
407 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.6M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 71 | — | |
| 2022 | 58 | -18.3% | |
| 2023 | 106 | +82.8% | |
| 2024 | 71 | -33.0% | |
| 2025 | 101 | +42.3% |
For the 19 building fires Marseilles departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 134 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 | 45 | 33.6% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 21 | 15.7% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 20 | 14.9% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 6 | 4.5% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 3.0% | |
| 6 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 3 | 2.2% | |
| 7 | Exterior, exposed surface | 3 | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Outside area, other | 3 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Multiple areas | 3 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 24 | 17.9% |
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 Marseilles mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 62 | 46.3% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 20 | 14.9% | |
| 3 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 12 | 9.0% | |
| 4 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 6 | 4.5% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 5 | 3.7% | |
| 6 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 5 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 2 | 1.5% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 13 | 9.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Marseilles departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $300,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $120,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $15,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $2,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $2,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Marseilles sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,592 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Natural | 600 | 21.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 232 | 26.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 210 | 16.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 27.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 22.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 110 | 21.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 23.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 24.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 67 | 26.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 26.4 mi |
Top 4 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 Marseilles. 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.