A total of 2,619 fire incidents have already been recorded in the country since January this year.

The Bureau of Fire Protection said the figure is higher compared to a total of 1,812 fire incidents from January to March last year.

In an interview over GMA News, BFP spokesperson Supt. Annalee Carbajal-Atienza attributed the rise of the fire incidents in the first quarter of 2022 to the shift to the lesser Alert Level system.

Atienza explained that based on the study of the agency’s fire investigators, more people have carelessly used their electrical connections for long hours which resulted in the rise of fire incidents.

She said the BFP is now aggressively reminding the public, especially in urban areas, to observe fire safety measures.

At 6 a.m. of March 1, Atienza noted that the BFP fire trucks started roaming the streets of various towns and cities sounding their sirens to mark the start of the “Fire Prevention Month.’’

Using sirens, the BFP alerted the public to be aware of the fire prevention safety measures with fire incidents prevalent mostly during the scorching heat of the summer months.

Earlier, the BFP issued a memorandum circular laying out its month-long activities particularly programs on fire safety awareness to inform the public ways to prevent fire incidents and hopefully reduce such occurrences in the country.

In the first week of March, the BFP will hold its kick-off activities such as caravans, motorcades and parades among others..

The next week of March was designated as the BFP Community Relations Week that focuses on enhancing the relationship of the agency to the public through games, arts and music contests and fire simulation exercises.

In the midst of the pandemic, the BFP said it continues to relentlessly pursue efforts to prevent fires nationwide with the hope of reducing the country’s fire incidents to eight percent this March. (Chito Chavez)