By Minerva BC Newman  CEBU CITY- More than P257.4 million worth of damage to property, 32 civilian deaths and six firefighters injured were recorded due to fire incidents in Central Visayas in 2019, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP-7) in Region 7. SFO4 Pier Angelo Abellana, BFP-7 deputy intelligence inspection section chief, bared that, in 2019, there were 1,893 fire incidents in Central Visayas. He said most of the incidents occurred n residential areas where informal settlers live with faulty electrical or substandard wirings and loose wire connections. These were the number one cause of fires in the region. “Other top causes of fires in Central Visayas are open flames from burning rubbish and lighted cigarettes and embers thrown anywhere by irresponsible people,” Abellana said during the AGIO7 Forum here Tuesday. Of the 1,893 fires in the region, Abellana disclosed that 1,819 were accidental fires, 34 were natural and 26 were intentional where eight of these cases were already filed in courts. According to Sr. Insp. Matt Reil Pono, chief of the Cebu City Fire Safety Section, there were 219 fires last year in Cebu City alone. Most were in densely populated areas that were caused by faulty or loose wirings, and overloaded electrical connections. “From January to February 2020, Cebu City has had35 fires already, and in 2019 data showed that Barangay Mambaling, a densely-populated area in the City had six fire incidents,” Pono said. Pono added that narrow streets, lack of water and uncooperative community were the biggest challenges the fire and safety personnel encounter during fire incidents. Sr. Insp. Ethel Margaha, chief of the Fire Safety Enforcement Division of BFP-7, bared that the agency has continuously and strictly implemented the Fire Code of the Philippines (RA-9514) at the community level, more specifically in raising awareness at the household level on fire safety and prevention. Margaha said the BFP-7 has piloted 15 percent of barangays in Central Visayas for its House-to-House Community Profiling project to assess the level of fire safety issues including readiness, preparedness of common household members, i.e. helpers, persons with disability (PWDs), elderlies and children. “We have been conducting capacity-building activities to these groups of people at the sitio level to empower them and the communities for fire safety and prevention through the organization of networks of fire volunteers and responders in the communities,” Margaha explained. Margaha added the goal is to diminish death and damage to property during fires and intensify presence of firefighters at the community, preferably household levels through series of fire safety/prevention trainings and capability building activities.