ILOILO City – Fire incidents here in the first three months of the year were 43 percent lower than the number of such incidents recorded in the same months in 2019, data from the City Fire Marshal showed.
From January to March this year, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) recorded 81 fire incidents in this city; last year during these months, 143 fires occurred.
Of the 81 fire incidents in the first quarter of 2020, 22 occurred in January, 25 in February and 34 in March.
According to Fire Chief Inspector Melanie Habawel, city fire marshal, most of the fires were electrical in nature.
Other causes were open flames and unattended cooking materials.
People nowadays are more fire safety-conscious, said Habawel in explaining the drop in fire incidents.
He also cited BFP’s fire safety information campaign.
“Perhaps our home safety fire tips are very effective. Households are now cautious. In the month of March alone, this year’s incidents were 55.84 percent lower than the incidents recorded in March last year,” said Habawel.
These are some of the fire safety tips Habawel’s office is espousing:
Cooking
Do not leave stoves unattended.
Keep children and pets away from stoves.
Keep loose-fitting clothing away from hot burners.
Smoking
Never smoke in bed or when feeling drowsy.
Keep ashtrays off sofas and chairs.
Do not leave cigarettes or pipes unattended.
Candles
Always keep burning candles within sight.
Always use a candle holder specifically designed for candles.
Extinguish all candles before leaving a room or before going to sleep./PN
