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 Destin responded to 114 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $2.0M building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 49% of all calls.
Mar peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
785 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $6.8M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 157 | — | |
| 2022 | 184 | +17.2% | |
| 2023 | 137 | -25.5% | |
| 2024 | 193 | +40.9% | |
| 2025 | 114 | -40.9% |
For the 4 building fires Destin departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 264 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 | 58 | 22.0% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 34 | 12.9% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 18 | 6.8% | |
| 4 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 16 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 16 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 13 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 12 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 10 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Equipment or service area, other | 9 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 9 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 69 | 26.1% |
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 Destin mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 104 | 39.4% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 36 | 13.6% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 21 | 8.0% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 15 | 5.7% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 11 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 11 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 9 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 9 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 8 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 8 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 32 | 12.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Destin departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000,000 | Fire, other | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $1,500,000 | Fire, other | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $750,000 | Water vehicle fire | Major | Investigated |
| 4 | $200,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $50,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $20,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $20,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Destin sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 60,645 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,500 | 22.0 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,100 | 21.2 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,930 | 21.9 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,900 | 20.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,490 | 28.9 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,926 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,800 | 21.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,765 | 13.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,486 | 22.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,400 | 27.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 2,215 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,176 | 30.8 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 Destin. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Destin.
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.