In 2025, fire departments serving Minooka responded to 130 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K 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 73% of all calls.
May peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
568 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $2.3M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 127 | — | |
| 2022 | 94 | -26.0% | |
| 2023 | 103 | +9.6% | |
| 2024 | 114 | +10.7% | |
| 2025 | 130 | +14.0% |
For the 41 building fires Minooka departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 91 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 | 25 | 27.5% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 22 | 24.2% | |
| 3 | Roof surface: exterior | 6 | 6.6% | |
| 4 | Other | 5 | 5.5% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 3 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Corridor, mall | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 7 | Egress/exit, other | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 20 | 22.0% |
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 Minooka mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 63 | 69.2% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 8.8% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 6 | 6.6% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 4 | 4.4% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 7 | Fireworks | 1 | 1.1% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 1.1% | |
| 9 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 1.1% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 1 | 1.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 1.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Minooka departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $75,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $25,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $12,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $3,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Minooka sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,624 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Natural | 600 | 7.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 232 | 8.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 210 | 37.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 160 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 15.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 110 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 16.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 14.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 67 | 7.9 mi |
Top 10 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 Minooka. 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.