BFP: Fewer fire incidents in December 2023 compared to same period in 2022

Fewer fire incidents were recorded in December 2023 compared to the record of the same month in 2022, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said on Monday.

“Ito po ay 97 fire incidents kumpara noong nakaraang taon [na] 249, sa [National Capital Region] po ito,” BFP spokesperson Fire Superintendent Annalee Carbajal-Atienza told Dobol B TV.

(There were 97 fire incidents compared to 249 recorded in the National Capital Region last year.)

“Iyong nationwide naman po ng buwan ng Disyembre ay 1,024 kumpara nitong nakaraang taong 2022 ay 1,090,” Atienza added.

(For the month of December, there were 1,024 fire incidents nationwide compared to 1,090 recorded in 2022.)

So far, Atienza said there have been no firecracker-related fire incidents reported since December 24 amid the celebration of Christmas and New Year.

The BFP attributed the decrease in fire incidents to the higher awareness of the public, local firecracker bans, and the visibility of fire trucks.

The BFP is set to lift its red alert status on Tuesday, Atienza said.

Fire trucks

In the same interview, Atienza said 159 areas in the country still have no fire trucks, most of them in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Caraga, Zamboanga, and Calabarzon. Luckily, these areas have never or rarely experienced fire incidents, she noted.

The BFP Modernization Program, which will run up to 2034, is set to address the lack of fire trucks in these areas as part of its first phase, according to Atienza. —KBK, GMA Integrated News