In 2025, fire departments serving Rockford responded to 28 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $5K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Authorized controlled burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 75% of all calls.
Dec peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
139 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.2M cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 17 | — | |
| 2022 | 30 | +76.5% | |
| 2023 | 25 | -16.7% | |
| 2024 | 39 | +56.0% | |
| 2025 | 28 | -28.2% |
For the 2 building fires Rockford departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 54 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 | 10 | 18.5% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 8 | 14.8% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 7 | 13.0% | |
| 4 | Exterior, exposed surface | 4 | 7.4% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 7.4% | |
| 6 | Other | 3 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 5.6% | |
| 8 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 5.6% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 3.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 14.8% |
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 Rockford mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 25 | 46.3% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 4 | 7.4% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 7.4% | |
| 4 | Conducted heat from another fire | 4 | 7.4% | |
| 5 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 3 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 2 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Lightning | 2 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 9.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Rockford departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $2,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $800 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Rockford sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 104,633 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 17,140 | 29.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 10,641 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10,586 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 8,134 | 36.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 7,788 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 7,580 | 35.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,040 | 47.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,450 | 46.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,231 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,200 | 17.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,944 | 29.9 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,784 | 46.4 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 37853 | 139 |
Six Tennessee cities with population within ±25% of Rockford. 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.