BACOLOD CITY – Fire incidents in this highly urbanized city decreased by 31.5 percent, from 295 in 2024 to only 202 in the past year, data from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Bacolod City Fire Station on Wednesday showed.
Fire Officer 2 Paul Servano, public information officer of BFP-Bacolod, said the fewer fire incidents are mainly a result of effective fire safety interventions under the city’s Red Zone Program, which focuses on fire-prone areas.
“We are reaching out to residents down to the purok (sub-village level) for fire prevention. We also did not experience El Niño in 2025, unlike in 2024 when hot weather lasted during the first half of the year,” he added.
Of the 202 fire incidents, 147 involved structures such as houses and buildings, while 35 were non-structural and 20 were vehicular fires.
In 2025, there were only 38 fire incidents in the first quarter compared to 108 in 2024 while in the second quarter, 45 incidents as to the previous year’s 63.
Fire incidents in the third quarter reached 59, from 65 in the past year, and 60 in the fourth quarter, slightly higher than 59 in 2024.
However, fatalities and injuries were higher at six and 16, respectively, in 2025, from only one death and 14 injured persons in 2024.
Total amount of damage in 2025 was pegged at P33.46 million compared to the previous year’s P57.32 million. (PNA)