The Cordillera office of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP-CAR) reported an eight percent decline in the total number of fire incidents during the first eleven months of 2022 compared to the same period the previous year with 255 fire incidents last year compared to the 277 fires the previous year.
However, the BFP-CAR disclosed that the total damages inflicted by the 255 fire incidents during the first 11 months of 2022 was around P124.6 million which was higher by 114 percent compared to the P51.1 million worth of damages inflicted by the 277 fires during the same period the previous year.
Electric post fires and ravish fires did not report any increase in cases during this reckoning period as there were 2 and 3 incidents, respectively, documented by the BFP-CAR.
However, vehicular fires reported the highest percentage of increase with 17.65 percent or from 17 cases for the first 11 months of 2021 to 20 incidents during the same period last year while structural fires followed with 11.11 percent increase or from 153 cases during the previous reckoning period to 170 cases for the same period last year.
On the other hand, grass fires recorded the highest percentage in the reduction of incidents at 52 percent or from 40 cases during the previous reckoning period to only 19 cases during the same period last year while forest fires followed with a 21 percent decline in incidents or from 46 incidents during the previous year to only 36 cases last year.
Civilian fatalities due to fire incidents increased by 100 percent last year after the reported 4 fire-related deaths compared to only 2 deaths during the previous reckoning period. There was one fatality from the side of the firefighters during each of the reckoning periods.
Previously, there were 17 firefighters who were reported to have been injured in the performance of their duties while the same dropped to only 16 injured firefighters last year.
Among the identified cases of fire incidents in the non-structural fires include open flame and unattended flame while the causes of fire in structural fire incidents were electrical short circuit and unattended cooking.
In terms of the areas that had been ravaged by forest fires during the aforesaid reckoning periods, the number of hectares that had been affected by forest fires during the first 11 months of 2022 was around 1,731.9 hectares which is more than 2,000 percent than the 79.5 hectares of forests affected by similar fire incidents during the previous year.
Local firefighters advised households to double check their gas tanks to ensure that these had been properly closed before leaving their houses to prevent the occurrence of untoward incidents that may compromise their safety.
Further, the BFP-CAR and the various provincial, city and municipal fire stations will enhance their information and education campaign within their areas of jurisdiction to spread awareness on fire prevention to save life and limb from untimely loss and damages.
