In 2025, fire departments serving Troy responded to 114 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $500K 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 63% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
498 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $4.0M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 91 | — | |
| 2022 | 101 | +11.0% | |
| 2023 | 106 | +5.0% | |
| 2024 | 86 | -18.9% | |
| 2025 | 114 | +32.6% |
For the 24 building fires Troy departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 215 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 | 62 | 28.8% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 55 | 25.6% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 21 | 9.8% | |
| 4 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 11 | 5.1% | |
| 5 | Exterior, exposed surface | 7 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 2.8% | |
| 7 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 4 | 1.9% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 4 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 37 | 17.2% |
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 Troy mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 113 | 52.6% | |
| 2 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 16 | 7.4% | |
| 3 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 15 | 7.0% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 12 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | Chemical reaction | 12 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 7 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 6 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 6 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 5 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 17 | 7.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Troy departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 98% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 | Outside rubbish fire, other | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $500,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 4 | $350,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 5 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $60,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Troy sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,997 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 | 36.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 225 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 150 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 32.2 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 27.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 40.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 31.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 40.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 36.5 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 Troy. 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.