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 Graceville responded to 55 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $129K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Forest, woods or wildland fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 60% of all calls.
Mar peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
181 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $605K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 33 | — | |
| 2022 | 29 | -12.1% | |
| 2023 | 35 | +20.7% | |
| 2024 | 29 | -17.1% | |
| 2025 | 55 | +89.7% |
For the 7 building fires Graceville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 92 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 | 21.7% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 16 | 17.4% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 9.8% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 8 | 8.7% | |
| 5 | Other | 7 | 7.6% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 4 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 4 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Storage area, other | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 16 | 17.4% |
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 Graceville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 40 | 43.5% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 9 | 9.8% | |
| 3 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 8 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 6 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 5 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 3 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 12 | 13.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Graceville departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $129,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $35,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $3,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,200 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Graceville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 14,291 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,800 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 1,035 | 48.1 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 1,000 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 869 | 43.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 814 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 672 | 33.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 575 | 49.9 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 566 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 550 | 43.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 522 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 510 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 49.5 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 Graceville. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Graceville.
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.