In 2025, fire departments serving Prophetstown responded to 48 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Fire, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 73% of all calls.
Mar peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
175 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21 | — | |
| 2022 | 28 | +33.3% | |
| 2023 | 30 | +7.1% | |
| 2024 | 48 | +60.0% | |
| 2025 | 48 | +0.0% |
For the 8 building fires Prophetstown 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 | Outside area, other | 10 | 23.3% | |
| 2 | Vehicle area, other | 6 | 14.0% | |
| 3 | Storage area, other | 4 | 9.3% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Structural area, other | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 9 | Other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 18.6% |
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 Prophetstown mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 10 | 23.3% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 10 | 23.3% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 14.0% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 9.3% | |
| 5 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 6 | Lightning | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 11.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Prophetstown departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $100 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Prophetstown sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,173 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 1,500 | 33.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 640 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 265 | 21.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 43.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 47.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 195 | 15.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 150 | 45.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 39.0 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 50.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Natural | 75 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 45.2 mi |
Top 2 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 Prophetstown. 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.