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 Daytona Beach Shores responded to 33 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $60K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Hazardous condition, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 73% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
269 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $340K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 54 | — | |
| 2022 | 60 | +11.1% | |
| 2023 | 69 | +15.0% | |
| 2024 | 53 | -23.2% | |
| 2025 | 33 | -37.7% |
For the 0 building fires Daytona Beach Shores departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 40 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 | 10 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 15.0% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 6 | 15.0% | |
| 4 | Roof surface: exterior | 3 | 7.5% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 7.5% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 5.0% | |
| 7 | Corridor, mall | 1 | 2.5% | |
| 8 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 15.0% |
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 Daytona Beach Shores mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 27.5% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 15.0% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 4 | 10.0% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 4 | 10.0% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 5.0% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 5.0% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 2 | 5.0% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 5.0% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Daytona Beach Shores departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $60,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $60,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $30,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $4,990 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,500 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Daytona Beach Shores sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 219,582 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 | 14.1 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 26,900 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 17,000 | 30.1 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 13,600 | 7.2 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 10,560 | 30.2 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 10,240 | 17.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Recreation and ceremony | 10,022 | 43.3 mi | |
| 2017 | Recreation and ceremony | 7,302 | 43.3 mi | |
| 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,145 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 6,575 | 13.3 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 6,420 | 13.8 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 6,263 | 47.3 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 Daytona Beach Shores. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Daytona Beach Shores.
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.