"The Fire" originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 11, 2005. The episode was viewed by 7.6 million viewers and received a 3.7 rating/9% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. This means that it was seen by 3.7% of all 18- to 49-year-olds, and 9% of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. The episode won its timeslot. An encore presentation of the episode, on June 6, 2006, received 1.9 rating/6% share and was viewed by over 4.6 million viewers.