In 2025, fire departments serving Pocahontas responded to 38 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $20K 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.
Dec peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
229 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 37 | — | |
| 2022 | 58 | +56.8% | |
| 2023 | 48 | -17.2% | |
| 2024 | 48 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 38 | -20.8% |
For the 6 building fires Pocahontas departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 112 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 | 54 | 48.2% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 11 | 9.8% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 8.0% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 7 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Wall surface: exterior | 4 | 3.6% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 4 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 4 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 9.8% |
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 Pocahontas mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 54 | 48.2% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 6.2% | |
| 3 | Radiated heat from another fire | 6 | 5.4% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 4.5% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 5 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 4 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 3 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 16 | 14.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Pocahontas departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Pocahontas sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,180 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 160 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 21.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 38.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 18.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 21.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 27.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 30.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 16.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 24.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 35 | 49.3 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 Pocahontas. 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.