In 2025, fire departments serving Mesquite responded to 22 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $14K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Passenger vehicle fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 55% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
120 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $40K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21 | — | |
| 2022 | 15 | -28.6% | |
| 2023 | 41 | +173.3% | |
| 2024 | 21 | -48.8% | |
| 2025 | 22 | +4.8% |
For the 2 building fires Mesquite departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 63 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 | 30 | 47.6% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 11 | 17.5% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 7.9% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 7.9% | |
| 5 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 4 | 6.3% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 6.3% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 9 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 1 | 1.6% |
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 Mesquite mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 49 | 77.8% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 5 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 10 | Match | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 1.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Mesquite departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $14,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Mesquite sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 89,655 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Natural | 13,804 | 29.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 13,424 | 14.6 mi | |
| 1993 | Natural | 11,856 | 38.5 mi | |
| 1994 | Natural | 9,000 | 45.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 5,160 | 13.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 5,045 | 19.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 5,000 | 40.6 mi | |
| 1994 | Natural | 3,650 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,582 | 8.4 mi | |
| 1997 | Natural | 2,400 | 33.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,150 | 40.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 2,000 | 40.8 mi |
Top 6 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six New Mexico cities with population within ±25% of Mesquite. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Mesquite.
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.