In 2025, fire departments serving Robinson responded to 96 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $125K 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 66% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
561 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $3.0M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 95 | — | |
| 2022 | 139 | +46.3% | |
| 2023 | 110 | -20.9% | |
| 2024 | 121 | +10.0% | |
| 2025 | 96 | -20.7% |
For the 28 building fires Robinson departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 157 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 41 | 26.1% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 23 | 14.6% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 13 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 9 | 5.7% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 6 | 3.8% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 6 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 5 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 4 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 4 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 4 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 42 | 26.8% |
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 Robinson mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 28 | 17.8% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 26 | 16.6% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 23 | 14.6% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 13 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 12 | 7.6% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 9 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 7 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 6 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 5 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Chemical reaction | 4 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 24 | 15.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Robinson departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 90% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $125,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $75,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $24,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Robinson sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 24 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,195 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 | 418 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 34.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Smoking | 80 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 43 | 47.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 28.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Recreation and ceremony | 20 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 19.6 mi |
Top 5 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 Robinson. 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.