In 2025, fire departments serving Riverton responded to 45 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 78% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
244 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $327K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 64 | — | |
| 2022 | 40 | -37.5% | |
| 2023 | 60 | +50.0% | |
| 2024 | 35 | -41.7% | |
| 2025 | 45 | +28.6% |
For the 21 building fires Riverton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 72 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 | 25 | 34.7% | |
| 2 | Other | 6 | 8.3% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 6 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 14 | 19.4% |
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 Riverton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 24 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 9 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | Cigarette lighter | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Match | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 8 | 11.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Riverton departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Riverton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,003 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 375 | 41.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 250 | 45.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 7.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 160 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 50.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 21.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 48.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 8.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | 55 | 32.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 42.4 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 Riverton. 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.