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 Pomona Park responded to 35 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $60K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 72% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
174 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $577K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 24 | — | |
| 2022 | 40 | +66.7% | |
| 2023 | 26 | -35.0% | |
| 2024 | 49 | +88.5% | |
| 2025 | 35 | -28.6% |
For the 3 building fires Pomona Park departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 32 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 | 6 | 18.8% | |
| 2 | Structural area, other | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 6 | Other | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 8 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 18.8% |
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 Pomona Park mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 50.0% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 4 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Candle | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 3.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Pomona Park departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $60,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Forest, woods or wildland fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $3,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Pomona Park sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 202,856 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Natural | 39,000 | 29.5 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 26,900 | 16.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 14,626 | 37.7 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 13,600 | 39.7 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 10,560 | 25.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Recreation and ceremony | 10,022 | 22.3 mi | |
| 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,145 | 24.9 mi | |
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 6,575 | 30.2 mi | |
| 1998 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 6,500 | 44.7 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 6,420 | 48.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 5,679 | 38.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 5,420 | 32.0 mi |
Top 4 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 Pomona Park. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Pomona Park.
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.