In 2025, fire departments serving Morton responded to 91 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $500K 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.
Nov peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
391 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.7M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 80 | — | |
| 2022 | 61 | -23.8% | |
| 2023 | 63 | +3.3% | |
| 2024 | 96 | +52.4% | |
| 2025 | 91 | -5.2% |
For the 21 building fires Morton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 94 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 | 23 | 24.5% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 20 | 21.3% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 7 | 7.4% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 6 | 6.4% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 6 | 6.4% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 3 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Structural area, other | 3 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 16 | 17.0% |
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 Morton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 38 | 40.4% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 15 | 16.0% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 8 | 8.5% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 8 | 8.5% | |
| 5 | Heat, spark from friction | 6 | 6.4% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 7 | 7.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Morton departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $50,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $30,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $13,700 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $2,500 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Morton sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,829 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 375 | 26.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 250 | 39.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 22.5 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 110 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 33.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 46.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 29.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 51 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 36.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 45 | 30.8 mi |
Top 3 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 Morton. 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.