In 2025, fire departments serving University Park responded to 91 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $22K 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 65% of all calls.
Mar peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
572 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $1.7M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 166 | — | |
| 2022 | 124 | -25.3% | |
| 2023 | 105 | -15.3% | |
| 2024 | 86 | -18.1% | |
| 2025 | 91 | +5.8% |
For the 16 building fires University Park departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 61 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 23 | 37.7% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 6 | 9.8% | |
| 3 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 5 | 8.2% | |
| 4 | Wall surface: exterior | 4 | 6.6% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Switchgear area, transformer vault | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 16.4% |
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 University Park mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 33 | 54.1% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 8.2% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 6.6% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 4 | 6.6% | |
| 5 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Molten, hot material | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 6.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by University Park departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $22,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $2,000 | Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,500 | Trash or rubbish fire, contained | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $500 | Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. University Park sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 5,306 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Natural | 600 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2002 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 396 | 25.0 mi | |
| 1993 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 341 | 25.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 291 | 24.3 mi | |
| 2019 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 274 | 26.3 mi | |
| 1995 | Debris and open burning | 253 | 23.4 mi | |
| 1996 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 244 | 24.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 232 | 24.4 mi | |
| 2019 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 216 | 25.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 204 | 23.9 mi | |
| 1994 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 191 | 25.4 mi | |
| 1994 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 190 | 23.4 mi |
Top 10 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 University Park. 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.