In 2025, fire departments serving Wadsworth responded to 74 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K 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 64% of all calls.
Aug peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
376 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $1.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 96 | — | |
| 2022 | 49 | -49.0% | |
| 2023 | 83 | +69.4% | |
| 2024 | 74 | -10.8% | |
| 2025 | 74 | +0.0% |
For the 18 building fires Wadsworth departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 77 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 | 34 | 44.2% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 17 | 22.1% | |
| 3 | Other | 6 | 7.8% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 7 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Egress/exit, other | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 10 | Office | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 9.1% |
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 Wadsworth mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 46 | 59.7% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 9 | 11.7% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 5.2% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 3 | 3.9% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 10 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 6.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Wadsworth departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $60,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $20,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Wadsworth sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,528 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 | 6.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 450 | 5.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 200 | 32.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Natural | 180 | 31.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 18.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 16.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | 76 | 30.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 40.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 31.9 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 40.3 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 5.2 mi |
Top 8 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 Wadsworth. 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.