In 2025, fire departments serving Niantic responded to 20 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $1K 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 80% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
65 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $29K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 11 | — | |
| 2022 | 11 | +0.0% | |
| 2023 | 8 | -27.3% | |
| 2024 | 15 | +87.5% | |
| 2025 | 20 | +33.3% |
For the 7 building fires Niantic departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 9 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 | Outside area, other | 2 | 22.2% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 2 | 22.2% | |
| 3 | Other | 1 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 11.1% | |
| 5 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 11.1% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 11.1% | |
| 7 | Exterior, exposed surface | 1 | 11.1% |
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 Niantic mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 6 | 66.7% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 2 | 22.2% | |
| 3 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 11.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Niantic departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $1,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Niantic sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,133 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 | 200 | 17.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 160 | 34.2 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 36.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 48.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 22.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 24.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 50.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 22.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 30.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 31.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 29.6 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 31.6 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 Niantic. 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.