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 Gretna responded to 12 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $30K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 83% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
58 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $336K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10 | — | |
| 2022 | 12 | +20.0% | |
| 2023 | 15 | +25.0% | |
| 2024 | 9 | -40.0% | |
| 2025 | 12 | +33.3% |
For the 5 building fires Gretna departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 28 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 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 6 | 21.4% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 4 | 14.3% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 7 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 8 | Closet | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Machinery room or area; elevator machinery room | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 10.7% |
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 Gretna mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 13 | 46.4% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 4 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 10.7% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Candle | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 1 | 3.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Gretna departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $12,000 | Self-propelled motor home or recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $400 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Gretna sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 128,387 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 26,279 | 32.2 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 24,602 | 31.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10,458 | 34.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,498 | 28.0 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 7,400 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 6,679 | 34.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 6,675 | 27.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 5,622 | 43.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,384 | 31.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 3,000 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,983 | 40.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 2,624 | 31.4 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 Gretna. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Gretna.
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.