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 Astor responded to 46 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $10K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 74% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
193 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $239K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 39 | — | |
| 2022 | 34 | -12.8% | |
| 2023 | 40 | +17.6% | |
| 2024 | 34 | -15.0% | |
| 2025 | 46 | +35.3% |
For the 1 building fires Astor departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 73 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 | Wildland, woods | 19 | 26.0% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 19 | 26.0% | |
| 3 | Other | 7 | 9.6% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 5 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 5.5% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Maintenance shop or area, paint shop or area | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 9.6% |
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 Astor mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 42 | 57.5% | |
| 2 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 5 | 6.8% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 5.5% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Lightning | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 8.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Astor departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Astor sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 213,184 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Natural | 39,000 | 21.8 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 26,900 | 33.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 17,000 | 45.4 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 13,600 | 26.9 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 10,560 | 3.4 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 10,240 | 31.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Recreation and ceremony | 10,022 | 10.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,500 | 46.6 mi | |
| 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,145 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 6,575 | 23.6 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 6,420 | 31.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 5,420 | 9.9 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 Florida cities with population within ±25% of Astor. 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.