DAVAO CITY – The Bureau of Fire Protection recorded an increase in fire incidents here and the Davao region in the first two months of this year compared to the same period in 2023.

BAROZZO (Ivy Tejano)
In a press conference at the Royal Mandaya Hotel in this city on Wednesday, March 6, marking Fire Prevention Month, BFP-Davao spokesperson Chief Insp. Paul Jorge Barozzo said fire incidents here went up by 10, from 38 in January to February in 2023, to 48 in the past two months this year.
Barozzo said they logged 135 fire incidents in the Davao region as of last month, 39 more than the same period last year.
He said most of the fire incidents in the Davao region involved residential and commercial establishments.
Barrozo added that they recorded 65 fire incidents involving residential from 39 and seven commercial from one last year.
“Fire incidents indeed increase from March until April due to the changing weather from cold to hot index in the Philippines,” Barozzo said.
He explained that when the weather is hot, wirings tend to expand and can potentially cause an overload of appliances and a fire incident.
Thus, he reminded the people to be cautious and conduct maintenance of electrical connections by licensed professionals and safety awareness.
He said the BFP remains committed to executing “Oplan Ligtas na Pamayanan,” its main initiative for fire prevention. He added that this involves firefighters working closely with communities to reduce fire risks, educate people, and plan ahead to prevent fires.
Barozzo said that other prevention efforts include inspecting commercial buildings to make sure business owners and their personnel follow fire safety rules and prevent fires.