In 2025, fire departments serving Trenton responded to 45 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $400K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 60% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
133 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.6M cumulative property loss. 3 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20 | — | |
| 2022 | 21 | +5.0% | |
| 2023 | 27 | +28.6% | |
| 2024 | 20 | -25.9% | |
| 2025 | 45 | +125.0% |
For the 7 building fires Trenton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 26 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 | 5 | 19.2% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 4 | 15.4% | |
| 4 | Storage area, other | 3 | 11.5% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 11.5% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 3.8% |
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 Trenton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 14 | 53.8% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 11.5% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 5 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Candle | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Lightning | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 10 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 3.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Trenton departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $300,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $7,500 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Chimney or flue fire, confined to chimney or flue | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Trenton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,993 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Natural | 225 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 225 | 46.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 160 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 150 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 150 | 46.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 25.5 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 40.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 38.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 43.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 41.0 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 Trenton. 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.