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 Mangonia Park responded to 10 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $15K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Passenger vehicle fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 80% of all calls.
May peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
54 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $260K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10 | — | |
| 2022 | 8 | -20.0% | |
| 2023 | 11 | +37.5% | |
| 2024 | 15 | +36.4% | |
| 2025 | 10 | -33.3% |
For the 1 building fires Mangonia Park departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 20 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 | 9 | 45.0% | |
| 2 | Arena, assembly area w/ fixed seats - 100+ persons | 2 | 10.0% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 2 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Other | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 5 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 6 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 7 | Fuel tank, fuel line | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 8 | Exterior, exposed surface | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 9 | Outside area, other | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 10 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 1 | 5.0% |
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 Mangonia Park mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 11 | 55.0% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 15.0% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 7 | Match | 1 | 5.0% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 5.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Mangonia Park departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $2,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Mangonia Park sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 452,375 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Natural | 57,000 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 49,500 | 46.9 mi | |
| 1997 | Equipment and vehicle use | 41,000 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Natural | 26,428 | 33.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 25,000 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 23,500 | 46.0 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 21,100 | 36.3 mi | |
| 1994 | Natural | 17,000 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 16,000 | 33.4 mi | |
| 1996 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 15,000 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 14,000 | 47.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 13,700 | 49.4 mi |
Top 5 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 Mangonia 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.