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 Indian River Shores responded to 22 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $5K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 64% of all calls.
Oct peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
103 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $564K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 18 | — | |
| 2022 | 23 | +27.8% | |
| 2023 | 20 | -13.0% | |
| 2024 | 20 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 22 | +10.0% |
For the 0 building fires Indian River Shores departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 19 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 | Other | 5 | 26.3% | |
| 2 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 4 | Function area, other | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Office | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 9 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 10 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 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 Indian River Shores mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 7 | 36.8% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 15.8% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 15.8% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Backfire from internal combustion engine | 1 | 5.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Indian River Shores departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100 | Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Indian River Shores sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 110,848 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 17,000 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 13,000 | 29.4 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 12,564 | 31.7 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 9,000 | 49.1 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 7,000 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 6,981 | 22.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | 5,500 | 21.6 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 4,835 | 34.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 4,018 | 38.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,560 | 23.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | 3,200 | 38.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 3,175 | 39.3 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 32963 | 102 |
Six Florida cities with population within ±25% of Indian River Shores. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Indian River Shores.
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.