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 South Bay responded to 22 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $5K 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 64% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
104 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $324K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 19 | — | |
| 2022 | 18 | -5.3% | |
| 2023 | 19 | +5.6% | |
| 2024 | 26 | +36.8% | |
| 2025 | 22 | -15.4% |
For the 1 building fires South Bay 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 28.1% | |
| 2 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 5 | 15.6% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 4 | Other | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Closet | 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 South Bay mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 12 | 37.5% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 15.6% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 4 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Fireworks | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 12.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by South Bay departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $2,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $2,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $300 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. South Bay sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 958,995 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 | 30.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 63,599 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 62,404 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 57,000 | 31.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 49,500 | 30.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 43,561 | 29.1 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 42,000 | 32.6 mi | |
| 1997 | Equipment and vehicle use | 41,000 | 26.6 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 39,000 | 33.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 38,100 | 18.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 38,000 | 17.5 mi | |
| 2017 | Natural | 29,937 | 32.0 mi |
Top 2 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 South 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.