In 2025, fire departments serving Alexander responded to 107 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $2.0M 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 52% of all calls.
Mar peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
759 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $4.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 187 | — | |
| 2022 | 206 | +10.2% | |
| 2023 | 157 | -23.8% | |
| 2024 | 102 | -35.0% | |
| 2025 | 107 | +4.9% |
For the 25 building fires Alexander departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 197 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 | 67 | 34.0% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 32 | 16.2% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 19 | 9.6% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 13 | 6.6% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 12 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 3.0% | |
| 7 | Vacant structural area | 6 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Other | 5 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 3 | 1.5% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 31 | 15.7% |
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 Alexander mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 122 | 61.9% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 23 | 11.7% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 8 | 4.1% | |
| 4 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 5 | 2.5% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 4 | 2.0% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 4 | 2.0% | |
| 7 | Match | 4 | 2.0% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 1.5% | |
| 9 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 1.5% | |
| 10 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 1.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 19 | 9.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Alexander departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $60,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Alexander sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 20,420 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Natural | 5,091 | 36.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,067 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 20.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,401 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,014 | 48.7 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 954 | 37.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 825 | 45.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 705 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 695 | 37.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 636 | 26.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 540 | 30.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 486 | 16.3 mi |
Top 10 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Arkansas cities with population within ±25% of Alexander. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Alexander.
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.