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 Crystal Springs responded to 30 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $500 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 73% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
164 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $653K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28 | — | |
| 2022 | 40 | +42.9% | |
| 2023 | 34 | -15.0% | |
| 2024 | 32 | -5.9% | |
| 2025 | 30 | -6.2% |
For the 0 building fires Crystal Springs departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 59 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 | Outside area, other | 9 | 15.3% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 11.9% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 10.2% | |
| 4 | Other | 5 | 8.5% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 5 | 8.5% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 4 | 6.8% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 5.1% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 13 | 22.0% |
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 Crystal Springs mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 18.6% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 7 | 11.9% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 11.9% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 5 | 8.5% | |
| 5 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 4 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Chemical reaction | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 13 | 22.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Crystal Springs departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500 | Unauthorized burning | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Crystal Springs sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 62,226 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 | 22.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,500 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,407 | 28.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 3,000 | 30.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,507 | 22.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 2,500 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,300 | 41.4 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,275 | 28.9 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,189 | 20.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 27.7 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 2,000 | 36.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 2,000 | 29.6 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 Crystal Springs. 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.