In 2025, fire departments serving Polo responded to 56 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 88% of all calls.
Sep peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
284 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $146K cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 49 | — | |
| 2022 | 49 | +0.0% | |
| 2023 | 85 | +73.5% | |
| 2024 | 45 | -47.1% | |
| 2025 | 56 | +24.4% |
For the 35 building fires Polo departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 43 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 | Structural area, other | 9 | 20.9% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 8 | 18.6% | |
| 3 | Other | 5 | 11.6% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 5 | 11.6% | |
| 5 | Storage area, other | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Exterior, exposed surface | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Egress/exit, other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 16.3% |
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 Polo mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 13 | 30.2% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 8 | 18.6% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 9.3% | |
| 4 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 4 | 9.3% | |
| 5 | Cigarette | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 6 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 10 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.3% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Polo sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,048 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 | 617 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 38.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 265 | 27.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 195 | 43.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 20.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 47.8 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 100 | 32.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Natural | 75 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 21.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 60 | 31.2 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 Polo. 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.