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 Hialeah Gardens responded to 25 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K 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 60% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
182 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $2.1M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 44 | — | |
| 2022 | 40 | -9.1% | |
| 2023 | 47 | +17.5% | |
| 2024 | 26 | -44.7% | |
| 2025 | 25 | -3.8% |
For the 3 building fires Hialeah Gardens departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 85 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 33 | 38.8% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 9 | 10.6% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 8 | 9.4% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 3.5% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 3.5% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Structural area, other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 16 | 18.8% |
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 Hialeah Gardens mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 22 | 25.9% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 21 | 24.7% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 19 | 22.4% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 3.5% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 3.5% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Candle | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 8 | 9.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Hialeah Gardens departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Hialeah Gardens sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,004,426 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 158,000 | 34.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 68,295 | 9.2 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 63,599 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 62,404 | 34.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 57,000 | 27.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 49,500 | 28.7 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 42,000 | 28.9 mi | |
| 1997 | Equipment and vehicle use | 41,000 | 33.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39,465 | 26.2 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 39,000 | 30.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 38,131 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Natural | 30,636 | 38.0 mi |
Top 5 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 Hialeah Gardens. 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.