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 Medley responded to 26 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $700K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 62% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
160 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $1.3M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 39 | — | |
| 2022 | 37 | -5.1% | |
| 2023 | 28 | -24.3% | |
| 2024 | 30 | +7.1% | |
| 2025 | 26 | -13.3% |
For the 3 building fires Medley departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 57 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 | 20 | 35.1% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 10.5% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 8.8% | |
| 4 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Undetermined | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Conveyor | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 9 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 14.0% |
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 Medley mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 19 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 14 | 24.6% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 12.3% | |
| 4 | Chemical, natural heat source, other | 3 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 8 | Chemical reaction | 2 | 3.5% | |
| 9 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 7.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Medley departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $700,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Medley sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,004,426 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 158,000 | 36.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 68,295 | 8.5 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 63,599 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 62,404 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 57,000 | 29.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 49,500 | 30.3 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 42,000 | 30.3 mi | |
| 1997 | Equipment and vehicle use | 41,000 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39,465 | 25.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 39,000 | 31.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 38,131 | 45.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Natural | 30,636 | 37.4 mi |
Top 6 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 Medley. 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.