No firecracker-related fire incident recorded in December 2020 —DILG

The country had not recorded any single incident of fire caused by firecrackers during the holiday season in December, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said Saturday.

In a statement, the DILG also reported firecracker-related injuries were down by 85 percent compared to focused on time period last year.

Fifty people were injured by firecrackers from December 21, 2020 to January 1, 2021, compared to the 340 of same period 2019.

"This new record is 89% lower than the five-year average from 2015-2019," the DILG said.

DILG Secretary Eduardo Año lauded the the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Philippine National Police (PNP), local government units (LGUs), and the Department of Health (DOH) for their combined efforts, including intensified information campaign and vigilance.

"Maganda ang pasok ng Bagong Taon dahil walang napinsala ng sunog dahil sa paputok. Binabati ko ang BFP, PNP, DOH at LGUs pati na rin ang ating mga mamamayan sa inyong pagsisikap at kooperasyon dahil kaya naman pala nating magdiwang ng ligtas at masaya kahit walang paputok," Año said.

Año added that there was a 52 percent decrease in fire incidents from other causes nationwide for December 2020, with only 593 incidents compared to the same period in 2019 with 1,246 incidents.

A total of 37 people were injured, including two BFP personnel, while 10 died during fire incidents, involving mostly residential properties.

In the National Capital Region, 4,417 fire-related incidents were recorded from January 1 to December 31, 2020, which is 18.26 percent lower than the 5,404 recorded in the same period in 2019.

Likewise,  Año reported there were no untoward incidents during New Year's Eve until January 1 in all jail facilities of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology nationwide.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) had also said there was "zero" incident of firecracker-related fires in 2020. —LBG, GMA News