In 2025, fire departments serving Pecatonica responded to 54 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $80K 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 83% of all calls.
May peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
262 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $973K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 53 | — | |
| 2022 | 38 | -28.3% | |
| 2023 | 68 | +78.9% | |
| 2024 | 49 | -27.9% | |
| 2025 | 54 | +10.2% |
For the 18 building fires Pecatonica departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 32 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 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 7 | 21.9% | |
| 2 | Structural area, other | 4 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 4 | Storage area, other | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 8 | Other | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 21.9% |
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 Pecatonica mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arcing | 9 | 28.1% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 7 | 21.9% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 5 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 1 | 3.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Pecatonica departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $3,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $300 | Fire in mobile prop. used as a fixed struc., other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Pecatonica sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,328 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,100 | 30.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 617 | 29.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 580 | 30.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 13.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 265 | 45.6 mi | |
| 2004 | Smoking | 169 | 31.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 23.1 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 100 | 22.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 38.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 23.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 65 | 37.2 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 Pecatonica. 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.