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.
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In 2025, fire departments serving Aventura responded to 68 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 59% of all calls.
Sep peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
321 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $13.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 58 | — | |
| 2022 | 66 | +13.8% | |
| 2023 | 63 | -4.5% | |
| 2024 | 66 | +4.8% | |
| 2025 | 68 | +3.0% |
For the 7 building fires Aventura 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 23 | 31.5% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 9 | 12.3% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 6 | 8.2% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Conduit, pipe, utility, or ventilation shaft | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 15 | 20.5% |
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 Aventura mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arcing | 14 | 19.2% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 13 | 17.8% | |
| 3 | Cigarette | 11 | 15.1% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 10 | 13.7% | |
| 5 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 5 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Candle | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 10 | 13.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Aventura departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 89% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $40,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Aventura sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 898,409 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 158,000 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 68,295 | 23.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 62,404 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 57,000 | 34.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 49,500 | 34.2 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 42,000 | 36.5 mi | |
| 1997 | Equipment and vehicle use | 41,000 | 39.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39,465 | 38.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 39,000 | 39.2 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 29,937 | 40.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 29,250 | 50.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Natural | 27,000 | 49.5 mi |
Top 10 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 Aventura. 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.