In 2025, fire departments serving Bethel Acres responded to 23 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $3K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Grass fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 100% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
154 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $203K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 43 | — | |
| 2022 | 44 | +2.3% | |
| 2023 | 25 | -43.2% | |
| 2024 | 19 | -24.0% | |
| 2025 | 23 | +21.1% |
For the 6 building fires Bethel Acres departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 58 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 | 39 | 67.2% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 12.1% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 3 | 5.2% | |
| 4 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 9 | Office | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Multiple areas | 1 | 1.7% |
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 Bethel Acres mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 43 | 74.1% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 10.3% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 5.2% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 6 | Candle | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 7 | Other static discharge | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 8 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 1 | 1.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Bethel Acres departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $3,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $1,000 | Grass fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $200 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $100 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $100 | Grass fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Bethel Acres sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 178,905 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 26,000 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 17,299 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 16,423 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 9,600 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 9,429 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 8,954 | 11.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,000 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,766 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,580 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,400 | 23.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 6,152 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,122 | 29.7 mi |
Top 7 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Oklahoma cities with population within ±25% of Bethel Acres. 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.