In 2025, fire departments serving London responded to 30 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Grass fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 73% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
127 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $256K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 19 | — | |
| 2022 | 36 | +89.5% | |
| 2023 | 21 | -41.7% | |
| 2024 | 21 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 30 | +42.9% |
For the 4 building fires London departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 62 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 | 19 | 30.6% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 10 | 16.1% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 11.3% | |
| 4 | Other | 5 | 8.1% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 8.1% | |
| 6 | Exterior, exposed surface | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 8.1% |
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 London mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 50 | 80.6% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 4 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 6 | Lightning | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.6% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. London sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 39,711 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 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 4,000 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,983 | 35.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,067 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,014 | 15.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 2,008 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,653 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 1,470 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 1,435 | 21.9 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,401 | 23.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,340 | 45.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,063 | 48.8 mi |
Top 3 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 London. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in London.
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.