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 Homestead responded to 176 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K 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 55% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
869 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $3.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 194 | — | |
| 2022 | 159 | -18.0% | |
| 2023 | 178 | +11.9% | |
| 2024 | 162 | -9.0% | |
| 2025 | 176 | +8.6% |
For the 6 building fires Homestead departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 266 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 | 61 | 22.9% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 36 | 13.5% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 33 | 12.4% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 27 | 10.2% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 22 | 8.3% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 11 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Wildland, woods | 11 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 9 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 7 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 7 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 42 | 15.8% |
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 Homestead mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 75 | 28.2% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 34 | 12.8% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 30 | 11.3% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 17 | 6.4% | |
| 5 | Cigarette | 17 | 6.4% | |
| 6 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 13 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 11 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 8 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 8 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 7 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 46 | 17.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Homestead departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 83% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $100,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $70,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $20,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Homestead sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 430,683 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Natural | 68,295 | 23.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 62,404 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39,465 | 10.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Natural | 30,636 | 26.6 mi | |
| 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 25,834 | 33.3 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 23,096 | 33.8 mi | |
| 2004 | Natural | 20,200 | 19.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 14,700 | 30.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 12,440 | 16.6 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 12,200 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 11,760 | 7.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 10,423 | 19.2 mi |
Top 10 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 Homestead. 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.