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 Miami Shores responded to 34 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $20K 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 71% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Mar dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
174 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $443K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 25 | — | |
| 2022 | 34 | +36.0% | |
| 2023 | 34 | +0.0% | |
| 2024 | 47 | +38.2% | |
| 2025 | 34 | -27.7% |
For the 2 building fires Miami Shores departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 39 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 | 15 | 38.5% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 7 | 17.9% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 7 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Wall assembly | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Roof surface: exterior | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 10.3% |
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 Miami Shores mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 41.0% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 10 | 25.6% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 5 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 5.1% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Molten, hot material | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Miami Shores departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Miami Shores sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 884,018 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 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 68,295 | 18.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 62,404 | 45.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 57,000 | 36.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 49,500 | 36.5 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 42,000 | 37.8 mi | |
| 1997 | Equipment and vehicle use | 41,000 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39,465 | 32.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 39,000 | 40.0 mi | |
| 2020 | Natural | 30,636 | 46.9 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 29,937 | 41.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Natural | 26,428 | 39.3 mi |
Top 8 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 Miami Shores. 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.