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 Interlachen responded to 107 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $192K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 50% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
530 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.1M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 80 | — | |
| 2022 | 142 | +77.5% | |
| 2023 | 102 | -28.2% | |
| 2024 | 99 | -2.9% | |
| 2025 | 107 | +8.1% |
For the 7 building fires Interlachen departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 161 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 | 30 | 18.6% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 27 | 16.8% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 19 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 13 | 8.1% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 11 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 7 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Structural area, other | 5 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Wall assembly | 4 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 32 | 19.9% |
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 Interlachen mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 70 | 43.5% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 36 | 22.4% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 10 | 6.2% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 10 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 2.5% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 4 | 2.5% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 2.5% | |
| 8 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 4 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 13 | 8.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Interlachen departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 96% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $192,230 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $30,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $20,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $4,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Interlachen sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 198,398 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Natural | 39,000 | 49.3 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 26,900 | 32.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 14,626 | 18.9 mi | |
| 1998 | Equipment and vehicle use | 12,753 | 41.8 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 10,560 | 41.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Recreation and ceremony | 10,022 | 31.9 mi | |
| 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,145 | 36.2 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 6,800 | 45.0 mi | |
| 1998 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 6,500 | 24.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 5,679 | 19.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 5,420 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 5,136 | 32.2 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 Interlachen. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Interlachen.
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.