BFP reports a 21% decline in fire occurrences

However, according to the BFP Public Information Service (PIS) report, the amount of property damage brought on by incidents this year increased by 52.3 percent to P1,435,516,408 from P942,300,007.04 the year before.

Compared to the 52 deaths identified in the previous year’s occurrences, the BFP reported that 42 civilian deaths occurred this year. A BFP employee was one of the fatalities in the previous year.

As for civilian injuries, there were 196 cases this year as opposed to the recorded 59 injuries last year, a 23.6 percent increase.

According to the BFP, smoking/lit cigarettes, cigars, and/or pipes are the leading causes of fire events, followed by electrical ignition caused by arcing and electrical ignition caused by weak connections.

The BFP said that during the first three months of 2023, 124 fire incidents—a decrease from 266 occurrences during the same time in 2022—were brought on by electrical ignition brought on by arcing. When energy jumps from one connection to another as the flash of electricity reaches temperatures exceeding 35,000°F, it is known as electrical arcing or circuit overloading.

The BFP also recorded 101 fire incidents in the first three months of this year that were linked to electrical ignition brought on by weak connections. Last year, 246 instances like these were reported.

There have been 88 recorded incidences of fires caused by smoking, lit cigarettes, cigars, or pipes so far, a significant drop from the 214 reported cases in 2022.

The BFP noted that industrial locations, mercantile or commercial districts, and residential areas were the three locations where fire events predominated.

According to the BFP’s classification of fire occurrences, there were 1,041 accidental fire incidents, 15 instances resulting from natural causes, 34 purposefully caused incidents, 14 cases resulting from careless acts, and 864 cases that are still being investigated.