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 Lake Alfred responded to 33 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 73% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
271 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.1M cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52 | — | |
| 2022 | 58 | +11.5% | |
| 2023 | 68 | +17.2% | |
| 2024 | 60 | -11.8% | |
| 2025 | 33 | -45.0% |
For the 8 building fires Lake Alfred departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 98 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 | 19 | 19.4% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 18 | 18.4% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 11 | 11.2% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 11 | 11.2% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 9 | 9.2% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 9 | 9.2% | |
| 7 | Other | 5 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 10.2% |
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 Lake Alfred mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 46 | 46.9% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 14 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 8 | 8.2% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 6 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 5 | 5.1% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Candle | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 5.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Lake Alfred departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $175,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $6,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $4,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Lake Alfred sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 93,810 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 | 7.9 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 8,800 | 44.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,500 | 32.4 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 7,000 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2017 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 5,964 | 31.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 4,200 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 4,200 | 40.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 3,900 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,407 | 18.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,250 | 42.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | 3,200 | 33.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 3,000 | 44.9 mi |
Top 7 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 Lake Alfred. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Lake Alfred.
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.