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 Tequesta responded to 48 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $400K 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 46% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
267 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 39 | — | |
| 2022 | 52 | +33.3% | |
| 2023 | 67 | +28.8% | |
| 2024 | 61 | -9.0% | |
| 2025 | 48 | -21.3% |
For the 3 building fires Tequesta departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 41 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 | 6 | 14.6% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 12.2% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 9.8% | |
| 4 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 6 | Other | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 9 | Undetermined | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 26.8% |
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 Tequesta mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 18 | 43.9% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 12.2% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 6 | Match | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 7.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Tequesta departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $52,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $2,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,500 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,500 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Tequesta sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 159,158 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Natural | 26,428 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 21,100 | 46.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 16,000 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Natural | 12,783 | 34.9 mi | |
| 1994 | Natural | 10,000 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 9,008 | 37.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 7,000 | 23.7 mi | |
| 1997 | Natural | 6,000 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2007 | Natural | 5,308 | 34.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 5,000 | 43.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Natural | 4,500 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Natural | 4,300 | 46.2 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 33469 | 267 |
Six Florida cities with population within ±25% of Tequesta. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Tequesta.
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.