In 2025, fire departments serving Sandwich responded to 98 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $500K 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 62% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
454 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $3.8M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 88 | — | |
| 2022 | 71 | -19.3% | |
| 2023 | 92 | +29.6% | |
| 2024 | 105 | +14.1% | |
| 2025 | 98 | -6.7% |
For the 18 building fires Sandwich departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 103 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 | 37 | 35.9% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 13 | 12.6% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 11 | 10.7% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 5.8% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Chimney (conversion only) | 4 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 4 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Wall assembly | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 15 | 14.6% |
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 Sandwich mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 56 | 54.4% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 4.9% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 5 | 4.9% | |
| 4 | Match | 5 | 4.9% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 3.9% | |
| 6 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 4 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 12 | 11.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Sandwich departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $350,000 | Fire, other | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $75,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Sandwich sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,635 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Natural | 600 | 28.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 232 | 30.3 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 210 | 28.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 37.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 34.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 110 | 38.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 38.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 35.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 27.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 37.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 34.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 67 | 30.0 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 Sandwich. 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.