In 2025, fire departments serving Staunton responded to 36 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $95K 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 78% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
268 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $995K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 65 | — | |
| 2022 | 59 | -9.2% | |
| 2023 | 47 | -20.3% | |
| 2024 | 61 | +29.8% | |
| 2025 | 36 | -41.0% |
For the 8 building fires Staunton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 77 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 | 20 | 26.0% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 12 | 15.6% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 11.7% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 7 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 5.2% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 5.2% | |
| 7 | Other | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 14.3% |
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 Staunton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 33 | 42.9% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 8 | 10.4% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 8 | 10.4% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 7.8% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 7.8% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 5 | 6.5% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 1.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Staunton departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $95,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $2,500 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Staunton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,637 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,475 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 160 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 21.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 26.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 28.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 29.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 12.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 28.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 41.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 20.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 13.1 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 Staunton. 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.