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 Dover responded to 71 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $241K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 66% of all calls.
Apr peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
484 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $2.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 84 | — | |
| 2022 | 101 | +20.2% | |
| 2023 | 102 | +1.0% | |
| 2024 | 126 | +23.5% | |
| 2025 | 71 | -43.7% |
For the 6 building fires Dover departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 110 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 | 20 | 18.2% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 16 | 14.5% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 16 | 14.5% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 11 | 10.0% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 7 | 6.4% | |
| 6 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 6 | 5.5% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Storage area, other | 3 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 20 | 18.2% |
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 Dover mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat source: other | 95 | 86.4% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 7 | 6.4% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 0.9% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 1 | 0.9% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 0.9% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 0.9% | |
| 7 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 1 | 0.9% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 0.9% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 0.9% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 0.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Dover departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $241,200 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $12,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $4,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Dover sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 52,926 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 | 30.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,407 | 39.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 3,000 | 17.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,507 | 34.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 2,500 | 25.9 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,275 | 30.6 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,189 | 33.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 16.2 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 2,000 | 43.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 2,000 | 35.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,939 | 17.0 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,775 | 35.7 mi |
Top 2 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 Dover. 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.