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 Jupiter responded to 25 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $30K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Passenger vehicle fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 60% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
149 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $8.6M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 29 | — | |
| 2022 | 25 | -13.8% | |
| 2023 | 35 | +40.0% | |
| 2024 | 35 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 25 | -28.6% |
For the 3 building fires Jupiter departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 51 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 | 14 | 27.5% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 8 | 15.7% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Exterior, exposed surface | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 10 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 17.6% |
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 Jupiter mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 23 | 45.1% | |
| 2 | Heat, spark from friction | 6 | 11.8% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 7.8% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Lightning | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 10 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 3.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Jupiter departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $30,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $500 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Jupiter sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 178,665 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Natural | 26,428 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 21,100 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 16,000 | 40.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Natural | 12,783 | 32.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 12,000 | 48.7 mi | |
| 1994 | Natural | 10,000 | 40.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 9,008 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 7,000 | 22.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 7,000 | 49.0 mi | |
| 1997 | Natural | 6,000 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 5,308 | 32.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 5,000 | 40.3 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 Jupiter. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Jupiter.
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.