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 Key West responded to 159 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $852K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 48% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
950 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $18.8M cumulative property loss. 4 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 217 | — | |
| 2022 | 181 | -16.6% | |
| 2023 | 183 | +1.1% | |
| 2024 | 210 | +14.8% | |
| 2025 | 159 | -24.3% |
For the 5 building fires Key West departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 276 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 | Outside area, other | 53 | 19.2% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 32 | 11.6% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 24 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 20 | 7.2% | |
| 5 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 17 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 16 | 5.8% | |
| 7 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 13 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 11 | 4.0% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 8 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Equipment or service area, other | 7 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 75 | 27.2% |
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 Key West mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 164 | 59.4% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 27 | 9.8% | |
| 3 | Cigarette | 13 | 4.7% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 12 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Cigarette lighter | 10 | 3.6% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 9 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 7 | 2.5% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Heat source: other | 6 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Arcing | 6 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 15 | 5.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Key West departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 98% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $851,617 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $450,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $124,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $77,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $69,490 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $35,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $10,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Key West sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 6 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 247 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 100 | 26.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Recreation and ceremony | 73 | 27.2 mi | |
| 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 35 | 28.4 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 17 | 27.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 12 | 28.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 10 | 24.9 mi |
Top 2 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 Key West. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Key West.
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.