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 Lacoochee responded to 28 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $10K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 61% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
135 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $205K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 23 | — | |
| 2022 | 21 | -8.7% | |
| 2023 | 25 | +19.0% | |
| 2024 | 38 | +52.0% | |
| 2025 | 28 | -26.3% |
For the 2 building fires Lacoochee departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 52 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 | Undetermined | 16 | 30.8% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 8 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 13.5% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 7 | 13.5% | |
| 5 | Other | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 5.8% |
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 Lacoochee mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 33 | 63.5% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 6 | 11.5% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 5 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 8 | Backfire from internal combustion engine | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Radiated heat from another fire | 1 | 1.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Lacoochee departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $2,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Lacoochee sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 60,148 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 | 10,119 | 29.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,500 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,407 | 27.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 3,000 | 48.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,507 | 19.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,300 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,275 | 30.9 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,189 | 15.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 2,000 | 28.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 2,000 | 37.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,939 | 48.5 mi |
Top 3 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 Lacoochee. 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.