In 2025, fire departments serving South Beloit responded to 139 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K 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 64% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
568 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $2.1M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 113 | — | |
| 2022 | 127 | +12.4% | |
| 2023 | 79 | -37.8% | |
| 2024 | 110 | +39.2% | |
| 2025 | 139 | +26.4% |
For the 37 building fires South Beloit departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 90 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 | 23 | 25.6% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 10 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 10 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 10.0% | |
| 5 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 7 | 7.8% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 3 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 16 | 17.8% |
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 South Beloit mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 47 | 52.2% | |
| 2 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 6.7% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 4 | 4.4% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 4.4% | |
| 5 | Chemical reaction | 3 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 3 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Arcing | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 15 | 16.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by South Beloit departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 98% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $65,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $30,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $30,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $12,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. South Beloit sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 5,526 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,100 | 23.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 617 | 34.5 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 580 | 22.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 15.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 290 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 254 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 252 | 39.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Smoking | 169 | 23.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 139 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 34.3 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 100 | 37.5 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 South Beloit. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in South Beloit.
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.