In 2025, fire departments serving Somonauk responded to 36 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 47% of all calls.
Dec peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
123 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $336K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28 | — | |
| 2022 | 23 | -17.9% | |
| 2023 | 16 | -30.4% | |
| 2024 | 20 | +25.0% | |
| 2025 | 36 | +80.0% |
For the 4 building fires Somonauk departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 15 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 | 6 | 40.0% | |
| 2 | Other | 4 | 26.7% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 13.3% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 1 | 6.7% |
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 Somonauk mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 7 | 46.7% | |
| 2 | Lightning | 2 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 13.3% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 6.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Somonauk departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Building or structure weakened or collapsed | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $250 | Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Somonauk sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,616 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Natural | 600 | 29.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 232 | 32.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 210 | 26.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 110 | 36.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 36.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 36.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 28.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 35.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 67 | 31.9 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 Somonauk. 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.