To report an active fire, call 911 (or your country’s emergency number) immediately and be ready to provide the exact address, what’s burning, and whether anyone is inside. Those three pieces of information are what dispatchers need most to send the right response. Everything else you can share helps, but location and life safety come first.
What to Say When You Call 911
Dispatchers follow a script designed to get the most critical details fast. The first question will always be the address of the emergency. If you don’t know the exact address, give a cross street, the nearest block number, or a landmark with a direction (for example, “north side of the gas station on Oak and 5th”). For buildings, mention whether it’s a house, apartment complex, duplex, or manufactured home, and describe the color or any vehicles in the driveway that could help crews find it quickly.
After location, expect these questions:
- What exactly is on fire? A kitchen, a car, a dumpster, brush along the roadside.
- How big is it? Did you see open flames or just smoke? What color is the smoke?
- Is anyone inside the building?
- Is the fire near anything it could spread to? Other structures, trees, dry grass, parked vehicles.
You don’t need perfect answers. Dispatchers are trained to work with incomplete information, and fire crews are typically dispatched while you’re still on the line. Stay on the call until the dispatcher tells you it’s okay to hang up.
Reporting a Wildfire
If you spot a wildfire or an uncontrolled brush fire, 911 still works. Many states also run dedicated wildfire hotlines. South Carolina, for example, uses 1-800-777-FIRE (3473) to route reports directly to forestry crews. Your state forestry commission or department of natural resources may have a similar line.
Wildfire reports benefit from the most precise location you can give. A GPS coordinate from your phone, a highway mile marker, or a nearby trailhead name all help crews narrow down where to go. If the fire is moving, note the direction and wind conditions if you can do so safely. Unlike a structure fire where the address is obvious, a wildfire in remote terrain can cost responders valuable time if the location is vague.
Calling From a Cell Phone
When you call 911 from a mobile phone, the dispatcher may not automatically see your precise location. FCC rules now require wireless carriers to provide coordinate-based location data, and as of April 2025, major carriers must also transmit vertical location (floor level) from capable devices. In practice, this means dispatchers can often pinpoint your position within about 50 meters and identify the floor of a multi-story building. Still, the system isn’t perfect in every area, so stating your address or location out loud remains the fastest way to get help sent to the right place.
Voice calls transmit far more useful information than texts, including tone of urgency, background sounds, and real-time back-and-forth with the dispatcher. Always call rather than text if you’re able to speak.
Text-to-911 and Accessibility Options
Text-to-911 is available in a growing number of areas but is not universal. If you’re deaf, hard of hearing, or unable to speak, you can try texting 911. If the local call center doesn’t support it, your phone will receive an automatic bounce-back message telling you to use another method, such as a TTY device or a telecommunications relay service.
To check whether your area supports text-to-911, the FCC maintains a list on its website that’s updated monthly. Even where texting is supported, it’s treated as a backup. Text messages don’t carry location data as reliably as voice calls, so include your full address in the first message you send.
Emergency Numbers Outside the U.S.
If you’re traveling, the number to call depends on the country:
- United Kingdom: 999 or 112
- European Union countries: 112
- Australia: 000 (or 112 from a cell phone)
- New Zealand: 111
The number 112 works on GSM mobile networks in most countries worldwide, even if it isn’t the local standard. It’s worth memorizing as a universal fallback.
Reporting Fire Hazards (No Active Fire)
Not every fire-related report is an emergency. Blocked fire exits, missing smoke detectors in a rental building, locked emergency doors, or faulty wiring are fire code violations, and they belong with your local fire marshal or code enforcement office rather than 911.
The process varies by city but generally follows a similar pattern. You file a complaint through your city’s non-emergency line or online portal (many cities route these through 311). An inspector from the fire marshal’s office or licensing department visits the property, typically within a few weeks. In Philadelphia, for instance, inspections happen within about 20 business days. If a violation is confirmed, the property owner receives a notice and usually gets around 35 days to fix the problem. If they don’t comply, the city can escalate to fines or legal action.
These reports can be filed by tenants, neighbors, or anyone who notices a hazard. You generally don’t need to provide proof, just a description and address. The inspector handles the rest.
Reporting Suspected Arson
If you suspect a fire was set intentionally, or you have information about someone planning to start a fire, contact your local fire department’s investigation division or your state’s arson hotline. Many states operate toll-free tip lines. Missouri’s, for example, is 1-800-392-7766, and the state offers a $5,000 reward for tips leading to an arrest. Other states run similar programs, often in partnership with law enforcement.
Tips can usually be submitted anonymously. You don’t need to be certain that arson occurred. Investigators are trained to determine cause and origin. What they need from you is anything you observed: unusual activity before the fire, unfamiliar vehicles or people near the scene, a pattern of fires in the same area, or the smell of accelerants. Even small details can be the piece that completes an investigation.
When 911 Isn’t the Right Call
About 1 in 10 calls to 911 turn out to be non-emergencies where the caller simply didn’t know who else to contact. A true emergency involves a high probability of death, injury, or significant property loss. For situations that don’t meet that threshold, such as a small controlled burn that a neighbor is managing, a campfire that looks attended, or a fire that’s already been extinguished, your local fire department’s non-emergency number is the better choice. You can usually find it on your city or county’s website, or by calling 311.
If you’re genuinely unsure whether what you’re seeing is an emergency, err on the side of calling 911. Dispatchers would rather take a call that turns out to be minor than miss one that escalates.