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 Mascotte responded to 29 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 55% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
196 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $459K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51 | — | |
| 2022 | 39 | -23.5% | |
| 2023 | 35 | -10.3% | |
| 2024 | 42 | +20.0% | |
| 2025 | 29 | -31.0% |
For the 3 building fires Mascotte departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 91 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 | 22 | 24.2% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 18 | 19.8% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 12 | 13.2% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 4 | 4.4% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 4.4% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Other | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 15 | 16.5% |
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 Mascotte mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 42 | 46.2% | |
| 2 | Match | 10 | 11.0% | |
| 3 | Cigarette | 6 | 6.6% | |
| 4 | Cigarette lighter | 6 | 6.6% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 5 | 5.5% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 4 | 4.4% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 10 | 11.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Mascotte departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $1,500 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Mascotte sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 93,967 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Natural | 10,560 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 10,119 | 28.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Recreation and ceremony | 10,022 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,500 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 5,420 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 4,014 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,407 | 20.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 3,149 | 46.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 3,111 | 37.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Natural | 2,965 | 44.1 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 2,600 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 2,551 | 34.5 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 Mascotte. 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.