In 2025, fire departments serving Sulphur Springs responded to 36 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $5K 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 75% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
189 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $25K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 29 | — | |
| 2022 | 66 | +127.6% | |
| 2023 | 28 | -57.6% | |
| 2024 | 30 | +7.1% | |
| 2025 | 36 | +20.0% |
For the 8 building fires Sulphur Springs departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 85 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 | 25 | 29.4% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 22 | 25.9% | |
| 3 | Other | 10 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 10 | 11.8% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 8.2% | |
| 6 | Storage area, other | 3 | 3.5% | |
| 7 | Corridor, mall | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 10 | Closet | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 4.7% |
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 Sulphur Springs mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 57 | 67.1% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 11 | 12.9% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 4.7% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 3 | 3.5% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 9 | Backfire from internal combustion engine | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 2.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Sulphur Springs departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Sulphur Springs sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 10,868 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 | 3,070 | 37.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,414 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 606 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 495 | 41.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 486 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 486 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 468 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 336 | 17.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 307 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 282 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 226 | 13.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 221 | 21.1 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 Sulphur Springs. 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.