In 2025, fire departments serving Wood River responded to 154 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $75K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 49% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
548 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $20.5M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 80 | — | |
| 2022 | 99 | +23.8% | |
| 2023 | 119 | +20.2% | |
| 2024 | 96 | -19.3% | |
| 2025 | 154 | +60.4% |
For the 16 building fires Wood River departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 100 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 21 | 21.0% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 15 | 15.0% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 10 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 9 | 9.0% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 8.0% | |
| 6 | Other | 5 | 5.0% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 4 | 4.0% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 20 | 20.0% |
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 Wood River mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 47 | 47.0% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 8 | 8.0% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 7.0% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 5.0% | |
| 5 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 5 | 5.0% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 4 | 4.0% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 4.0% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 11 | 11.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Wood River departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Rail vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $27,303 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $27,303 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $7,577 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $3,500 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Wood River sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,102 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 | 24.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 225 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 150 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 14.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 43.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 25.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 47.8 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 Wood River. 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.