In 2025, fire departments serving Des Arc responded to 14 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Fire, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 93% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
110 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $129K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 19 | — | |
| 2022 | 17 | -10.5% | |
| 2023 | 27 | +58.8% | |
| 2024 | 33 | +22.2% | |
| 2025 | 14 | -57.6% |
For the 0 building fires Des Arc departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 83 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 | 52 | 62.7% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 12 | 14.5% | |
| 3 | Other | 6 | 7.2% | |
| 4 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 5 | Storage area, other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 6 | Structural area, other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Closet | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 9 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 10 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 1 | 1.2% |
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 Des Arc mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 69 | 83.1% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 6 | 7.2% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 4 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 5 | Lightning | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 7 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 1.2% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Des Arc sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 8,579 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 776 | 36.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 636 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 524 | 43.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 441 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 367 | 28.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 319 | 35.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 282 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 275 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 270 | 23.5 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 255 | 34.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | 250 | 28.3 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 72040 | 110 |
Six Arkansas cities with population within ±25% of Des Arc. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Des Arc.
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.