Two Lithium-Ion Battery Fires in Three Weeks Destroy Homes in Pasco County, Florida
Battery fires in Zephyrhills and New Port Richey destroyed two homes, killed a dog and displaced six people between Aug. 31 and Sept. 18.
FL
In 2025, fire departments serving Apollo Beach responded to 45 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $629K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Flammable gas or liquid condition, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 49% of all calls.
Jan peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
320 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $2.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 46 | — | |
| 2022 | 47 | +2.2% | |
| 2023 | 69 | +46.8% | |
| 2024 | 113 | +63.8% | |
| 2025 | 45 | -60.2% |
For the 4 building fires Apollo Beach departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 86 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 | 17 | 19.8% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 13 | 15.1% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 8 | 9.3% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 7 | 8.1% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 7.0% | |
| 6 | Storage area, other | 4 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 4 | 4.7% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 3 | 3.5% | |
| 10 | Exterior, exposed surface | 3 | 3.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 17 | 19.8% |
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 Apollo Beach mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat source: other | 81 | 94.2% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 4 | 4.7% | |
| 3 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 1.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Apollo Beach departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $628,913 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $20,000 | Water vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $15,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $3,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $2,000 | Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $500 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Apollo Beach sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 52,008 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 10,119 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,932 | 41.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 5,837 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 3,000 | 2.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 2,500 | 27.4 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,275 | 36.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 18.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,939 | 17.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 1,674 | 40.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 1,600 | 34.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,500 | 23.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 1,300 | 22.3 mi |
Top 2 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Florida cities with population within ±25% of Apollo Beach. 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.