Number of PH Fire Incidents rises by 8.3% in first 4 months of 2023 - BFP

The country's number of fire incidents has increased by 8.3 percent in the first four months of this year, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said on Tuesday, May 23.

From 5,691 cases in 2022, BFP records revealed that it increased to 6,155 from January to May this year.

Reports obtained from the BFP Central Office showed that the damage in this year's fire incidents is

P7,798,335,195.91 compared to the total of P2,093,627,043.91 recorded over the same period in the previous year.

The BFP noted that there is a marked increase of 272.5 percent in the total worth of damaged property due to various fire incidents in the country.

However, the BFP stated that there was a slight decrease in the number of fire incident-related casualties with this year's record of 21 from the 25 last year.

The top cause of fire incidents in the country was electrical ignition caused by 'arcing' which is at 681 this time of the year compared to the 629 cases over the five-month period of 2022.

Electrical arcing is when electrical current jumps a gap in a circuit or between two electrodes (conductors of electricity).

Another major cause of fire incidents in the country is 'electrical ignition' caused by loose connection where 476 cases were recorded this year compared to the 588 reported in 2022.

From 411 fire incidents due to smoking/lighted cigarettes, cigars or pipes in 2022, the number skyrocketed to 554 over the same five-month period this year.

From May 1 to 22 this year, the BFP said that there were 69 fire incidents in the National Capital Region (NCR) which is lower than the recorded 192 cases over the same period of 2022 where the damage to property was pegged at P35,376,100 compared to the P63,220,840.87 last year. (Chito A. Chavez)

QUEZON CITY, (PIA) -- The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) confirmed Tuesday that although there were fewer fires recorded in the country in early 2023, the number of people who died as a result of fire was higher.

Based on the data released by the BFP, it was known that from January 1 to April 17, 2023, there were 3,991 fire incidents that they recorded in the country.

This is 10 percent less compared to the 4,448 fire incidents recorded during the same period last year.

However, the death toll in early 2023 has reached 124, which includes 121 civilians and three firefighters.

This is higher than the 87 recorded last year, which included 85 civilians and two firefighters.

The number of fire injuries was also higher at 402, compared to only 352 in 2022.

Meanwhile, property damage also swelled by 834 percent year-on-year and reached P15,122,588,314 in early 2023, compared to only P1,619,206,831 last year.

According to the BFP, smoking or lighting a cigarette is still the leading cause of fire, followed by electrical ignition caused by arcing; electrical ignition caused by loose connection; and ignition caused by fireworks or pyrotechnics explosions.

It is said that most of the fire incidents occurred in residential areas, with 2,008; 213 fires occurred in mercantile areas and 132 in industrial areas.

About 2,626 of the reported fires were considered accidents only; 64 are intentional; 53 are natural; 31 are not specified; 20 were due to negligence; and 1,757 are still under investigation.

In this regard, the BFP continues to call on the public to be careful to avoid fire, especially this summer season. (PIA-NCR)