The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) recorded 1,984 fire incidents from Jan. 1 to March 2 this year, which saw a 21.3-percent decrease from the 2,520 incidents in the same period last year.
However, the BFP Public Information Service (PIS) report indicated that damage to property due to this year’s incidents rose by 52.3 percent to P1,435,516,408 from the previous year’s P942,300,007.04.
The BFP said there were 42 civilian fatalities in this year’s incidents compared to the 52 deaths noted last year. Among the fatalities last year was a BFP personnel.
Meanwhile, civilian injury was 23.6 percent higher this year as there were 196 cases compared to the reported 59 injuries last year.
The BFP stated that the top causes of fire incidents are electric ignition caused by arcing, electrical ignition caused by loose connection; and smoking/lighted cigarettes, cigars and/or pipes.
For the first three months of 2023, the BFP noted that 124 fire incidents were caused by electrical ignition caused by arcing, lower than 266 cases in the same period in 2022. Electrical arcing or circuit overloading occurs when electricity jumps from one connection to another as the flash of electricity reaches temperatures of 35,000°F .
In this year’s first three months, 101 fire incidents traced to electrical ignition caused by loose connections were also listed by the BFP. There were 246 similar cases recorded last year.
So far, fire incidents due to smoking, lighted cigarettes, cigars or pipes were at 88, which saw a sharp decrease from 214 reported cases in 2022.
The BFP pointed out that fire incidents occurred mostly in residential areas, mercantile or commercial districts and industrial places.
In the classification of fire incidents, the BFP revealed that there were 1,041 accidental fire incidents; 15 cases due to natural causes; 34 intentionally-induced incidents; 14 cases due to negligent acts; and 864 cases which are under investigation.