In 2025, fire departments serving Vernon Hills responded to 205 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $650K 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 74% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
786 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.3M cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 109 | — | |
| 2022 | 130 | +19.3% | |
| 2023 | 176 | +35.4% | |
| 2024 | 166 | -5.7% | |
| 2025 | 205 | +23.5% |
For the 36 building fires Vernon Hills departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 72 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 | 15 | 20.8% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 11 | 15.3% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 6.9% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 5 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Egress/exit, other | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 17 | 23.6% |
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 Vernon Hills mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 33 | 45.8% | |
| 2 | Cigarette | 5 | 6.9% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Candle | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 9 | 12.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Vernon Hills departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $650,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $4,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,000 | Fire in portable building, fixed location | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Vernon Hills sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,510 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 750 | 13.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 13.3 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 200 | 45.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 180 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 29.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 15.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 76 | 42.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 30.6 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 27.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 16.8 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 Vernon Hills. 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.