In 2025, fire departments serving Paw Paw responded to 38 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 68% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
134 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 25 | — | |
| 2022 | 18 | -28.0% | |
| 2023 | 26 | +44.4% | |
| 2024 | 27 | +3.8% | |
| 2025 | 38 | +40.7% |
For the 10 building fires Paw Paw departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 58 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 | 20 | 34.5% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 10 | 17.2% | |
| 3 | Other | 9 | 15.5% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 7 | 12.1% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 3 | 5.2% | |
| 6 | Roof surface: exterior | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Interior stairway or ramp | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 9 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Switchgear area, transformer vault | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 5.2% |
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 Paw Paw mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 19 | 32.8% | |
| 2 | Match | 13 | 22.4% | |
| 3 | Heat, spark from friction | 5 | 8.6% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 4 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 5.2% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 3.4% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Paw Paw sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,651 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Natural | 600 | 43.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 232 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 210 | 24.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 26.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 110 | 32.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 24.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 23.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 67 | 47.0 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 Paw Paw. 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.