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 Miramar Beach responded to 104 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $500K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 64% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
461 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $4.6M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 83 | — | |
| 2022 | 65 | -21.7% | |
| 2023 | 102 | +56.9% | |
| 2024 | 107 | +4.9% | |
| 2025 | 104 | -2.8% |
For the 5 building fires Miramar Beach departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 104 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 | 13 | 12.5% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 12 | 11.5% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 6 | 5.8% | |
| 6 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 6 | 5.8% | |
| 7 | Other | 5 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 35 | 33.7% |
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 Miramar Beach mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 46 | 44.2% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 13 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 9 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 5.8% | |
| 5 | Cigarette | 6 | 5.8% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Fireworks | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Lightning | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Heat source: other | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 8 | 7.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Miramar Beach departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 98% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $500,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $300,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Major | Investigated |
| 4 | $75,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $25,000 | Natural vegetation fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $10,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Miramar Beach sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 60,645 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 | 29.4 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,100 | 28.7 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,930 | 29.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,900 | 28.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,490 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,926 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,800 | 18.6 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,765 | 21.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,486 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,400 | 34.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 2,215 | 45.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,176 | 36.7 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 Miramar Beach. 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.