In 2025, fire departments serving Thomasboro responded to 20 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 65% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
107 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $517K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 24 | — | |
| 2022 | 20 | -16.7% | |
| 2023 | 22 | +10.0% | |
| 2024 | 21 | -4.5% | |
| 2025 | 20 | -4.8% |
For the 0 building fires Thomasboro departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 33 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 9 | 27.3% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 6 | 18.2% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 15.2% | |
| 4 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 4 | 12.1% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 3 | 9.1% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 3.0% |
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 Thomasboro mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 22 | 66.7% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 3 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 4 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Arcing | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 1 | 3.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Thomasboro departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Thomasboro sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 840 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 29.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 38.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 50 | 12.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 40.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 41.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 4.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 36.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 39.6 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 35 | 12.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 35 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 32.9 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 Thomasboro. 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.