In 2025, fire departments serving Tolono responded to 94 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $30K 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 66% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
261 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $80K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 38 | — | |
| 2022 | 41 | +7.9% | |
| 2023 | 49 | +19.5% | |
| 2024 | 39 | -20.4% | |
| 2025 | 94 | +141.0% |
For the 22 building fires Tolono departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 76 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 | 25 | 32.9% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 14 | 18.4% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 7.9% | |
| 4 | Other | 5 | 6.6% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 6.6% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 5 | 6.6% | |
| 7 | Wildland, woods | 5 | 6.6% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Fuel tank, fuel line | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 7.9% |
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 Tolono mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 46 | 60.5% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 5 | 6.6% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 6.6% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 6 | Lightning | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 6.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Tolono departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $30,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Tolono sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 20 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 662 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 38.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 50 | 5.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 22.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 40.5 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 35 | 5.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 19.6 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 | 37.8 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 | 45.4 mi |
Top 4 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 Tolono. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Tolono.
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.