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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Nearly 100 fire incidents recorded in first 4 days of March

Nearly 100 fire incidents recorded in first 4 days of March

Published Mar 8, 2022 10:10 am

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) urged the public to continue observing fire prevention measures as the government has already recorded 94 fire incidents in the first four days of this month.

“We are only just four days in the Fire Prevention Month but we have close to 100 cases already. We remind our kababayans (countrymen) to be vigilant in this uptick of fire incidents and do their shared responsibility in keeping these unfortunate fires from happening,” said DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año.

“Tulong-tulong po tayo, ‘yan po ang aming mensahe ngayong (Our message is to help one another) this Fire Prevention Month. Prevention starts in homes and establishments,” he added.

Based on the latest data of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Año noted that seven deaths and P20.4 million damage to properties were recorded in the 94 fire incidents recorded from March 1 to 4 nationwide.

However, this number is smaller compared to the incidents tallied in the same period last year which was 161.

For the said period, 68 percent or 64 fire incidents were classified as accidental, two cases were intentional; two others were natural incidents and one was due to negligence with 25 incidents currently under investigation.

He added that in the National Capital Region (NCR) alone, 12 fire incidents have been recorded by the BFP in the same period of four days causing more than P500,000 worth of damage to properties with most cases happening in single to two-family dwelling occupancies.

“Nakikita natin na ang trend ayon sa mga datos ay accidental ang mga dahilan ng pagkakaroon ng sunog kaya malaking bagay na maipaalala sa ating mga kababayan na malaki ang kanilang tungkulin sa pagsugpo sa pagdami ng kaso ng sunog sa ating bansa (We can see that the trend based on the data are accidental fire incidents that is why it is important to remind the public of their large role in preventing a huge number of fire incidents in the country), he noted.

Meanwhile, from Jan. 1 to March 4, Año said that the BFP tallied a total of 2,181 fire incidents nationwide which is higher than the cases recorded last year (1,984 fire incidents) in the same period. In these incidents, 38 civilians died while 158 were injured.

The DILG chief said that the incidents caused more than P640.9 million worth of damages to properties that was traced by the BFP mainly to “electrical ignitions by arcing which happens when a circuit becomes overloaded and overheats or electrical ignition by a loose connection.’’

Año said that 994 or 46 percent of the total fire incidents nationwide from Jan. 1 were accidental in nature while 470 cases were due to negligence with 1,417 cases being structural in nature and 180 vehicular fire cases.

Discipline is key in fire prevention

DILG Undersecretary Jonathan E. Malaya said that self-discipline among members of the family and workers in an establishment is the key to ensuring the practice of fire safety in homes and establishments.

He stressed that “simple fire safety protocols include regularly checking electrical connections and unplugging appliances not being used; not leaving an open stove unattended; regularly checking the LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) tank if it is turned off or closed; and, storing flammable items in secure locations.’’

The BFP noted that 10 LPG related fire incidents were recorded this year while 42 similar incidents were recorded last year. (Chito A. Chavez)

Related Tags

DILG BFP 94 fire incidents recorded in march fire prevention month Eduardo Año 2
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