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 Lake Park responded to 38 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $2K 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 60% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
259 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $71K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 39 | — | |
| 2022 | 52 | +33.3% | |
| 2023 | 57 | +9.6% | |
| 2024 | 73 | +28.1% | |
| 2025 | 38 | -47.9% |
For the 3 building fires Lake Park departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 18 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 | 6 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 3 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 2 | 11.1% | |
| 5 | Sales area, showroom (exclude display window) | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 9 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 1 | 5.6% |
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 Lake Park mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 7 | 38.9% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 11.1% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 1 | 5.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Lake Park departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $2,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1,000 | Outside rubbish fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Lake Park sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 354,683 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Natural | 49,500 | 49.3 mi | |
| 1997 | Equipment and vehicle use | 41,000 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Natural | 26,428 | 36.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 25,000 | 45.3 mi | |
| 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 23,500 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 21,100 | 38.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 16,000 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 14,000 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Natural | 12,783 | 28.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 12,000 | 43.5 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 10,700 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 10,658 | 47.9 mi |
Top 4 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 Park. 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.