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 Parkland responded to 79 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K 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 44% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
406 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $886K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 81 | — | |
| 2022 | 85 | +4.9% | |
| 2023 | 76 | -10.6% | |
| 2024 | 85 | +11.8% | |
| 2025 | 79 | -7.1% |
For the 3 building fires Parkland departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 87 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 | Undetermined | 18 | 20.7% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 15 | 17.2% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 10 | 11.5% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 8.0% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 6 | 6.9% | |
| 6 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 7 | Other | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 15 | 17.2% |
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 Parkland mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 52 | 59.8% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 6 | 6.9% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 7 | Lightning | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 1 | 1.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 3.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Parkland departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $25,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $2,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $600 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $1 | Outside mailbox fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Parkland sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 924,572 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 | 32.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 68,295 | 38.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 63,599 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 62,404 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 57,000 | 21.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 49,500 | 20.8 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 42,000 | 26.0 mi | |
| 1997 | Equipment and vehicle use | 41,000 | 24.2 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 39,000 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 29,937 | 29.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 29,250 | 33.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Natural | 27,000 | 34.9 mi |
Top 5 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 Parkland. 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.