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 Malone responded to 17 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $25K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Fire, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 76% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
55 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $56K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 7 | — | |
| 2022 | 8 | +14.3% | |
| 2023 | 13 | +62.5% | |
| 2024 | 10 | -23.1% | |
| 2025 | 17 | +70.0% |
For the 3 building fires Malone departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 26 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 | 11 | 42.3% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 5 | 19.2% | |
| 3 | Other | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Structural area, other | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Ceiling & floor assembly, crawl space b/t stories | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 1 | 3.8% |
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 Malone mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 42.3% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 9 | 34.6% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 6 | Lightning | 1 | 3.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Malone departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $25,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Malone sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 10,818 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,614 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 869 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 672 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 563 | 36.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 550 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 421 | 31.7 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 395 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 352 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 350 | 38.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 320 | 28.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 316 | 36.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 312 | 30.5 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 Malone. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Malone.
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.