In 2025, fire departments serving Palestine responded to 21 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $5K 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 62% of all calls.
Jun peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
99 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $206K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 17 | — | |
| 2022 | 18 | +5.9% | |
| 2023 | 17 | -5.6% | |
| 2024 | 26 | +52.9% | |
| 2025 | 21 | -19.2% |
For the 4 building fires Palestine departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 27 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 | 5 | 18.5% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 4 | 14.8% | |
| 3 | Other | 3 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 11.1% | |
| 5 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 7 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 8 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 7.4% |
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 Palestine mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 15 | 55.6% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 2 | 7.4% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Candle | 1 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 1 | 3.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Palestine departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $1 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Palestine sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 24 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,242 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 716 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 418 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 365 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 33.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 33.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Smoking | 80 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 43 | 47.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 27.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 44.5 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 62451 | 99 |
Six Illinois cities with population within ±25% of Palestine. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Palestine.
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.