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 Palmetto Bay responded to 61 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $12K 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 66% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
298 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $932K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 66 | — | |
| 2022 | 77 | +16.7% | |
| 2023 | 38 | -50.6% | |
| 2024 | 56 | +47.4% | |
| 2025 | 61 | +8.9% |
For the 0 building fires Palmetto Bay departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 58 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 10 | 17.2% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 12.1% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 5 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 5 | 8.6% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 6.9% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 5.2% | |
| 8 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 3 | 5.2% | |
| 9 | Roof surface: exterior | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 19.0% |
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 Palmetto Bay mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arcing | 15 | 25.9% | |
| 2 | Cigarette | 5 | 8.6% | |
| 3 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 5 | 8.6% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 5 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Fireworks | 4 | 6.9% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 5.2% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 5.2% | |
| 9 | Heat source: other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 10 | 17.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Palmetto Bay departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $12,000 | Water vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $2,500 | Outside gas or vapor combustion explosion | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,400 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Palmetto Bay sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 640,606 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Natural | 68,295 | 15.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 62,404 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 57,000 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 49,500 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 42,000 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 39,465 | 16.3 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 39,000 | 46.0 mi | |
| 2020 | Natural | 30,636 | 33.5 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 29,937 | 47.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 25,834 | 35.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 25,000 | 39.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 23,096 | 26.2 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 Palmetto Bay. 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.