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 Bonifay responded to 137 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $40K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Aircraft standby lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 61% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
573 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $570K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 140 | — | |
| 2022 | 70 | -50.0% | |
| 2023 | 94 | +34.3% | |
| 2024 | 132 | +40.4% | |
| 2025 | 137 | +3.8% |
For the 16 building fires Bonifay departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 121 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 | 27 | 22.3% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 20 | 16.5% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 10 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 7.4% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 8 | 6.6% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 5 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 5 | 4.1% | |
| 9 | Other | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 26 | 21.5% |
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 Bonifay mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 41 | 33.9% | |
| 2 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 18 | 14.9% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 11 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 11 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 6.6% | |
| 6 | Lightning | 5 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 4 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 14 | 11.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Bonifay departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $36,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $8,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $800 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Bonifay sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 20,416 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,800 | 33.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,800 | 37.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1,135 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 1,035 | 31.8 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 1,000 | 33.1 mi | |
| 1997 | Equipment and vehicle use | 988 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 869 | 34.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 814 | 32.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 720 | 38.8 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 706 | 42.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 672 | 22.1 mi | |
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 669 | 47.4 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 Bonifay. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
4 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Bonifay.
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.