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 Mary Esther responded to 16 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $15K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 63% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
116 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $15K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21 | — | |
| 2022 | 25 | +19.0% | |
| 2023 | 32 | +28.0% | |
| 2024 | 22 | -31.2% | |
| 2025 | 16 | -27.3% |
For the 1 building fires Mary Esther departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 35 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 | Outside area, other | 9 | 25.7% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 11.4% | |
| 3 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 4 | Function area, other | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 8 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 9 | Undetermined | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 10 | Other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 17.1% |
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 Mary Esther mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 19 | 54.3% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 3 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Match | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Candle | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Mary Esther departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Mary Esther sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 61,832 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,500 | 11.0 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,100 | 9.9 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,930 | 11.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,900 | 9.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,490 | 17.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,926 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,800 | 29.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,765 | 3.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,486 | 11.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,400 | 17.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 2,215 | 26.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,176 | 23.7 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 Mary Esther. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Mary Esther.
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.