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 Ellenton responded to 39 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $30K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Arcing, shorted electrical equipment lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 67% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
287 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 56 | — | |
| 2022 | 54 | -3.6% | |
| 2023 | 51 | -5.6% | |
| 2024 | 87 | +70.6% | |
| 2025 | 39 | -55.2% |
For the 2 building fires Ellenton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 89 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 | Cooking area, kitchen | 13 | 14.6% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 11 | 12.4% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 11 | 12.4% | |
| 4 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 10 | 11.2% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 7 | 7.9% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Other | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 19 | 21.3% |
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 Ellenton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 43 | 48.3% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 11 | 12.4% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 11 | 12.4% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 4 | 4.5% | |
| 5 | Lightning | 4 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.1% | |
| 10 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 1.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 6.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Ellenton departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $30,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $30,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $400 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Ellenton sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 45,301 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,932 | 30.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 5,837 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,112 | 43.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 3,000 | 20.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 2,500 | 36.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 31.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,939 | 30.3 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 1,674 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 1,600 | 45.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,500 | 37.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,400 | 42.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,350 | 40.7 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 Ellenton. 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.