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 Silver Springs responded to 176 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $39K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 61% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
922 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $2.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 170 | — | |
| 2022 | 206 | +21.2% | |
| 2023 | 179 | -13.1% | |
| 2024 | 191 | +6.7% | |
| 2025 | 176 | -7.9% |
For the 12 building fires Silver Springs departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 206 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 | Wildland, woods | 37 | 18.0% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 34 | 16.5% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 26 | 12.6% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 26 | 12.6% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 16 | 7.8% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 6 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 4 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 41 | 19.9% |
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 Silver Springs mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 89 | 43.2% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 17 | 8.3% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 15 | 7.3% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 14 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 13 | 6.3% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 10 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 7 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 6 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Lightning | 6 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 5 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 24 | 11.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Silver Springs departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 91% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $39,168 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $32,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $30,000 | Fire in mobile prop. used as a fixed struc., other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $20,940 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $20,400 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $18,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Silver Springs sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 117,591 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 14,626 | 42.7 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 10,560 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Recreation and ceremony | 10,022 | 21.7 mi | |
| 1998 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 6,500 | 40.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 5,679 | 41.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Natural | 5,420 | 40.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 5,136 | 47.1 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 4,200 | 35.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,170 | 40.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 4,014 | 21.6 mi | |
| 1998 | Debris and open burning | 4,000 | 47.2 mi | |
| 1998 | Natural | 3,950 | 46.1 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 Silver Springs. 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.