Arkansas Fire Guide: How to Check Wildfire Danger, Burn Bans, and Red Flag Warnings, and Keep Power for Phones and Lights
- Arkansas Fire Danger Today: The State Risk Map, County Burn Bans, and the Active Wildfire Dashboard
- Arkansas Wildfire Seasons: When Fires Happen and What Starts Them
- Go-Bag and Shelter Power for Phones, Lights, and a Weather Radio: EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic
- Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches: Which NWS Office Covers Your Arkansas County
- If a Wildfire Gets Close: Evacuation Alerts, Routes, and Temporary Shelter in Arkansas
- Preventing Fires in Arkansas: Burn Bans, Debris Burning, and a Firewise Yard
- Wildfire Power Outages in Arkansas: Entergy Arkansas, SWEPCO, OG&E, Liberty, and Co-ops
- Conclusion
- FAQ
You've probably seen the headline. A fire grew overnight, and a long list of counties is under a burn ban. But news about an Arkansas fire goes stale within hours, and you need answers for your own county today. This guide shows you where to check fire danger and burn bans yourself. It covers the state's two fire seasons and which National Weather Service office sends Red Flag Warnings for your area. You'll also find evacuation alerts, utility outage maps, and ways to keep phones, lights, and a weather radio charged if you have to leave.
Arkansas Fire Danger Today: The State Risk Map, County Burn Bans, and the Active Wildfire Dashboard
Searching "Arkansas fire" usually means two questions. Is a fire near me, and can I burn today? Both answers change weekly. So go to the state's Forestry Division, part of the Department of Agriculture. It protects "more than 15 million acres of non-federal forestland." Its Forestry Division fire information page keeps the key tools in one place.
Where to check | What it shows | When to check it |
Wildfire Danger and Burn Bans map | Fire danger by county and counties under a burn ban | Before you burn debris, light a campfire, or grill over an open flame |
Active Wildfire Dashboard | Fires that crews are working | When you smell smoke or see a news alert |
Your county officials | Local burning rules | When the map leaves you unsure |
The danger map has four levels. They're based on dry fuel, drought, and the long-range forecast. At Moderate, "Fire can start from accidental causes." At High, "Fires ignite easily and spread quickly."
Burn bans are set county by county and change often. Check the map each time. For local rules, the Arkansas county officials directory shows who to call. Report a wildfire to the Forestry Division at 1-800-468-8834, or call 911 first if people or homes are at risk. And don't fly drones near a fire, since they get in the way of firefighting.
A fire alert only helps if your phone can get it. So learn how WEA and EAS alerts work before a fire starts nearby. Those maps tell you what's happening this week. The state's fire history shows when to start checking them.
Arkansas Wildfire Seasons: When Fires Happen and What Starts Them
Arkansas has two fire seasons, one in late winter and spring and one in late summer and fall. Most wildfires Arkansas crews fight are small and start with people. That's why burn bans matter so much here.
Two seasons, three peak months
The Arkansas Forestry Commission, now the Forestry Division, tracked this in a 2017 release. Fires peaked from February to April and from August to October. February, March, and November were the busiest months.
Leading causes
That 2017 release named debris burning as the top cause of Arkansas wildfires. Arson came second. A 2018 outlook added lightning, kids playing with matches, cigarettes, equipment, and campfires. That's the agency's 2017 to 2018 view, not current data.
Numbers that put it in perspective
Dated numbers show how many fires in Arkansas one year can bring. Each figure below comes from a state or federal agency and belongs to its own date. Here's what they reported:
2012: 2,148 wildfires burned 34,434 acres.
2017: 1,566 wildfires burned 27,549 acres, with 316 fires in November alone.
Spring 2026: Crews had put out 675 wildfires on 15,139 acres, over 40% of them in March, per a March 26, 2026 release.
Late summer 2026: By September 18, NWS Little Rock said 65% of the state was in severe drought or worse.
A kit packed for fire season does double duty. The same radio, flashlights, and batteries help when tornadoes strike across Arkansas and knock out power. Whatever the season, a fire that forces you out shrinks your power needs fast. You need a phone, a light, and a radio.
Go-Bag and Shelter Power for Phones, Lights, and a Weather Radio: EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic
Say an Arkansas wildfire sends you to a relative's house or a county shelter. Your phone is how you get alerts and reach your family. Radio matters too. Ready.gov's evacuation guidelines page says to "Listen to a battery-powered radio."
A portable power station keeps your phone, lights, and radio charged when outlets are hard to find. It does nothing to prevent or slow a fire. At a shelter, ask before you plug in.
Keep the unit away from heat and smoke, like a grill or a hot dashboard in direct sun. EcoFlow lists a discharge range of 14°F to 113°F for this model, so a closed car in August is a bad spot. Keep it dry and ventilated, and never run a damaged device on it. If that matches your plan, EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic is sized for a grab-and-go setup. Here are the specs that matter when you're packing in a hurry.
The fast recharge helps if you get a short warning. You can top it off while you load the car. It won't run house circuits without the right gear and an electrician. It also isn't a medical-device backup.
How long will it last? Assume about 870Wh usable (1,024Wh × 0.85 for conversion losses), then divide by the watts on each charger label. A 7W router, the typical draw eero lists for its eero 7, would run about 124 hours. Here's a rough example. A 65W laptop charger, a 20W phone charger, and that router add up to 92W. That's about 9.5 hours at full draw.
A power station rides along with your supplies, not in place of them. Pack it next to the water, medicine, and papers on your list for packing a bug-out bag. Knowing when to grab that bag starts with fire weather alerts. In Arkansas, the office that sends them depends on your county.
Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches: Which NWS Office Covers Your Arkansas County
Five NWS offices split Arkansas for fire weather alerts. A Fire Weather Watch is the early heads-up. A Red Flag Warning means dangerous fire weather is coming soon or is already here. The 2024 Arkansas Fire Weather Operating Plan sets the rules. Here's how they work:
Fire Weather Watch: usually 12 to 48 hours ahead, and up to 72 hours when forecasters are confident.
Red Flag Warning: issued when criteria are likely within 24 hours or already met.
Little Rock criteria: humidity of 25% or lower, steady winds of 14 mph or more, and very dry fuels. All three must happen at once.
Other offices differ. Memphis uses humidity and wind only, while Shreveport and Jackson add wind or drought limits. So check the rules for the office that covers your county.
NWS office | Arkansas counties covered |
Little Rock (weather.gov/lzk) | 47 counties, including Pulaski, Garland, Saline, Faulkner, White, Jefferson, Pope, Boone, Baxter, Ouachita, and Calhoun |
Tulsa (weather.gov/tsa) | Benton, Carroll, Crawford, Franklin, Madison, Sebastian, Washington |
Memphis (weather.gov/meg) | Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Greene, Lee, Mississippi, Phillips, Poinsett, St. Francis |
Shreveport (weather.gov/shv) | Columbia, Hempstead, Howard, Lafayette, Little River, Miller, Nevada, Sevier, Union |
Jackson, Mississippi (weather.gov/jan) | Ashley, Chicot |
The NWS Little Rock fire weather page posts each year's plan. It also gives a simple rule. Don't burn when winds top 15 mph and humidity drops below 20 percent.
A Red Flag Warning is a good cue to charge your batteries. Restock your power outage emergency supply kit before things get worse. Alerts tell you the risk is rising. Orders to leave come from somewhere else.
If a Wildfire Gets Close: Evacuation Alerts, Routes, and Temporary Shelter in Arkansas
In Arkansas, county and local officials give evacuation orders and pick shelters. The forestry map won't tell you to leave. Plan two ways out and a place to meet before the fire season.
Alerts: Sign up for ReadyAR Emergency Alerts on the state's Citizen Alerts page. They cover severe weather and safety threats. Join your county's system too.
Leaving: Ready.gov says to leave early so you don't get trapped. Skip shortcuts, and keep at least half a tank of gas.
Shelters: Officials name sites during each fire, so don't count on a past address.
Smoke: Check the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map if smoke drifts your way.
If officials tell you to leave, go right away. Knowing the evacuation order steps to follow helps you move fast. Most Arkansas fires start with someone burning outdoors. So the best way to avoid an evacuation is to follow burn rules and clean up your yard.
Preventing Fires in Arkansas: Burn Bans, Debris Burning, and a Firewise Yard
Debris burning has long been the top cause of wildfires here, so small habits matter. The state's tips and its Firewise program are good places to start. Most of them take little time and cost nothing.
When burning is restricted
When fire risk is high, the state's March 2026 tips say to skip outdoor burning. That includes campfires, trash fires, and open-flame grills. If you do have a flame going outdoors, never leave it unattended. On the road, stay off dry grass and keep trailer chains from dragging. Don't drive on flat tires either, since all three can throw sparks. And always put cigarettes out fully instead of tossing them outdoors.
A Firewise yard: Lean, Clean, Green
The Forestry Division's Firewise program breaks yard prep into three steps. Each one makes it harder for flames to reach your house. Most homeowners can finish them in a weekend:
Lean: Mow grass short and trim tree branches up to six feet off the ground. Keep plants off your roof and windows.
Clean: Move vehicles, yard toys, and tools away from the house.
Green: Clear dead leaves, pine needles, and twigs, and keep healthy plants around the home.
The division "has worked with more than 300 communities and all the state parks." Call its Firewise Coordinator at (501) 580-9607 to learn more. Trained volunteers help too. Joining a community emergency response team is one way to pitch in. Wildfires can also take power lines out of service. So the last step is knowing who your utility is.
Wildfire Power Outages in Arkansas: Entergy Arkansas, SWEPCO, OG&E, Liberty, and Co-ops
Arkansas has no single outage map. Your provider depends on where you live, and co-ops serve much of rural Arkansas. Find the name on your bill and bookmark its map.
Entergy Arkansas: Use the Entergy Arkansas outage map or report an Entergy outage online.
SWEPCO: Southwestern Electric Power Company posts outages on its SWEPCO online outage map.
OG&E: Check the OG&E System Watch outage map, which shows outages across its service area.
Liberty: Arkansas customers can report a Liberty outage online or call 1-800-206-2300.
First Electric Cooperative: Check the First Electric outage map.
Ozarks Electric Cooperative: Call 1-800-521-6144 or use the Ozarks Electric outage map.
Other co-ops run their own pages. None of the pages we checked describes a planned wildfire shutoff in Arkansas. For downed lines or a fire near lines, call 911 first, then your utility. No one can promise when power will come back after a fire. Knowing how long power outages last helps you plan for more than one day.
Conclusion
Arkansas fire risk peaks twice a year, once from late winter into spring and again from late summer into fall. Most fires here start with outdoor burning, so checking the rules before you light anything matters. The Forestry Division posts danger levels, burn bans, and active fires in one place, so bookmark its maps. Then find your NWS office, sign up for ReadyAR alerts, and keep your yard Firewise. Finally, pack charged power for your phone, lights, and radio. If you want a portable way to keep those running during an evacuation, EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic is worth a look.
FAQ
Where can I see wildfires in Arkansas right now?
Skip the news headlines, since they're often hours old by the time you read them. The Forestry Division's Active Wildfire Dashboard shows the fires crews are working, and its danger map shows the risk in each county. If you see flames or heavy smoke near homes, call 911 before you do anything else.
Is there a burn ban in my Arkansas county?
It depends on the week, because bans can start or end quickly as weather shifts. Pull up the Burn Bans layer on the state's fire map before you light a brush pile or a campfire. If the map leaves you unsure, your county office can tell you the local rules.
When is wildfire season in Arkansas?
Arkansas gets two fire seasons a year. The first runs from late winter into spring, and the second runs from late summer into fall. State records from 2017 flagged February, March, and November as the busiest months, so stay extra alert then.
How do I report a wildfire in Arkansas?
If a fire is close to people, homes, or roads, dial 911 right away. For a wildfire where no one is in danger, call the Forestry Division at 1-800-468-8834. Note where the fire is and how big it looks, so crews can find it fast.
Does "Arkansas fire" include house fires?
It does, and home fires are a serious risk here. The U.S. Fire Administration's Arkansas data shows 10.3 deaths for every 1,000 home fires in the state in 2023. That's far above the national rate of 5.8, so working smoke alarms matter just as much as wildfire prep.
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