In 2025, fire departments serving Venice responded to 14 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $6K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 64% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
88 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $31K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 11 | — | |
| 2022 | 25 | +127.3% | |
| 2023 | 19 | -24.0% | |
| 2024 | 19 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 14 | -26.3% |
For the 0 building fires Venice departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 30 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 | Outside area, other | 10 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Vacant structural area | 4 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 10.0% | |
| 5 | Wall assembly | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Other | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Laboratory | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Chute; laundry or mail, excluding trash chutes | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 10.0% |
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 Venice mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 19 | 63.3% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 3 | 10.0% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Match | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Fireworks | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 1 | 3.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Venice departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $6,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Venice sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,521 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 | 28.5 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 360 | 48.2 mi | |
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 270 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 225 | 35.3 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 150 | 35.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 22.3 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 25.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 39.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 34.3 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 56 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 37.8 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 Venice. 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.