BFP: 42% spike in fire incidents nationwide linked to heat index

There were over 9,000 fire incidents recorded in the country to date, a 42% increase from the more than 6,000 incidents logged in the same period last year, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said Monday.

“Kung titignan natin ‘yung sunog as to date, kumpara sa nakaraang taon ay tumaas ito ng 42%. Ibig sabihin nakapagtala na tayo ng sunog ng 9,451 compared sa 6,675 lang nung nakaraang taon, same period,” said BFP spokesperson Fire Supt. Anthony Arroyo in a “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” briefing.

(If we look at the fire incidents to date compared to last year, it increased by 42%. This means we have already recorded 9,451 fires compared to just 6,675 during the same period last year.)

The BFP also noted an increase in fire incidents outside of Metro Manila, mostly non-structural fires like forest or grass fires. The bureau attributed these incidents to the heat of the current dry season.

“So ang nakikita natin dito ang dumaming sunog po ay outside of NCR, ito po ay mga non-structural fire. Tumaas po halos ng 67% ang non-structural fire, ito po ‘yung mga forest fire, grass fire, at iba pang mga halintulad na sunog,” said Arroyo.

(So what we are seeing here is that the increase in fires is outside of the National Capital Region, and these are non-structural fires. Non-structural fires increased by almost 67%, and these include forest fires, grass fires, and other similar types of fires.)

“Kasi masasabi natin may direct talaga na correlation ang dami ng sunog sa average heat index sa buong bansa base sa datos ng BFP at PAGASA. Kasi kung titignan natin, tumaas talaga ang sunog nung Marso, Abril, at kahit itong Mayo dahil sa init ng panahon,” he added.

(We can say that there is a truly direct correlation between the number of fires and the average heat index across the country, based on data from the BFP and PAGASA. If you look at it, fire incidents really spiked in March, April, and even this May due to the hot weather.)

However, the fire bureau recorded a 17% decrease in fire incidents in Metro Manila, which are mostly due to electrical causes.

The BFP added that among the causes of fire in dense areas include electrical overloading and illegal electricity connections.

“Kahit bumaba ang number of fire incident dito sa NCR pero ang lalaki naman ng insidente ng sunog, mga conflagration usually. Madalas nangyayari ang conflagration sa mga densely populated area at masasabi natin na ang iba diyan ay mga informal settlers,” said Arroyo.

(Even though the number of fire incidents decreased here in the NCR, the scale of these fires is quite large, usually conflagrations. These conflagrations often happen in densely populated areas, and we can say that some of them are informal settlers.)

The BFP advised the public to let appliances rest to avoid overheating and only purchase brands of electrical appliances and gadgets approved by the Department of Trade and Industry.

“Ipahinga rin ang mga electric fan, na halos walang patayan, para hindi mag-overheat; at iwasan ‘yung overload connection…At tumangkilik ng mga DTI-approved, para hindi agad maging dahilan ng sunog ang mga hindi kalidad na mga di kuryenteng kagamitan or mga gadgets, or mga appliance po,” said Arroyo.

(Give electric fans a rest too, since they are kept running almost non-stop, so they don't overheat; and avoid overloaded connections... Also, support DTI-approved products so that low-quality electrical equipment, gadgets, or appliances do not easily trigger a fire.) —RF, GMA News