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 North Miami Beach responded to 94 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $400K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 64% of all calls.
Dec peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
624 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $2.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 163 | — | |
| 2022 | 153 | -6.1% | |
| 2023 | 133 | -13.1% | |
| 2024 | 81 | -39.1% | |
| 2025 | 94 | +16.0% |
For the 5 building fires North Miami Beach departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 141 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 | 35 | 24.8% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 20 | 14.2% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 10 | 7.1% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 9 | 6.4% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 9 | 6.4% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 9 | 6.4% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 6 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 5 | 3.5% | |
| 9 | Wildland, woods | 5 | 3.5% | |
| 10 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 4 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 29 | 20.6% |
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 North Miami Beach mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arcing | 34 | 24.1% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 31 | 22.0% | |
| 3 | Cigarette | 15 | 10.6% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 13 | 9.2% | |
| 5 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 8 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 3.5% | |
| 7 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 5 | 3.5% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 4 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Heat source: other | 3 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 20 | 14.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by North Miami Beach departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 96% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $75,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $35,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. North Miami Beach sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 915,345 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 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 68,295 | 20.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 62,404 | 45.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 57,000 | 33.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 49,500 | 34.0 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 42,000 | 35.9 mi | |
| 1997 | Equipment and vehicle use | 41,000 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39,465 | 35.9 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 39,000 | 38.4 mi | |
| 2020 | Natural | 30,636 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 29,937 | 39.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 29,250 | 49.7 mi |
Top 10 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 North Miami Beach. 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.