In 2025, fire departments serving Warrensburg responded to 31 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $175K 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 78% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
140 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $514K cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 29 | — | |
| 2022 | 21 | -27.6% | |
| 2023 | 28 | +33.3% | |
| 2024 | 31 | +10.7% | |
| 2025 | 31 | +0.0% |
For the 9 building fires Warrensburg departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 29 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 | 9 | 31.0% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 8 | 27.6% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Roof surface: exterior | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Exterior, exposed surface | 1 | 3.4% |
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 Warrensburg mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 15 | 51.7% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 17.2% | |
| 3 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Radiated heat from another fire | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 1 | 3.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Warrensburg departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $175,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Warrensburg sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,118 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 25.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 160 | 39.4 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 39.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 21.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 29.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 28.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 24.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 50 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 50.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 24.2 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 35 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 24.2 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 Warrensburg. 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.