THE Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has recorded a total of 10,996 fire incidents throughout the country from January 1 to June 10 this year, leading to the death of 178 people.
During the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing, BFP spokeswoman Supt. Annalee Atienza said the number is higher compared to the 8,182 cases recorded during the same period last year.
“It’s unfortunate that we had a 34.4 percent increase in fire incidents. This is nationwide and the majority of these fires occurred in residential occupancies,” said Atienza.
Atienza said the top three causes of fires were open flames from rubbish fires, smoking, and open flames from farmland.
With the onset of the rainy season, Atienza said the BFP will embark on an information campaign to raise the level of awareness of people on how to avoid fire incidents.
Atienza noted that rains can lead to electrical ignition, one of the top causes of fire incidence.
Data provided by the BFP showed 178 civilians died in the fires from January 1 to June 10, up from 147 during the same period last year. The injured also rose to 588 from 526.
The data showed no BFP member died during the period, just like last year. However, the number of injured BFP personnel rose to 65, from just 39 last year.
Atienza welcomed the Department of Budget and Management’s release of over P2 billion for the BFP’s modernization program.
“This is a big help definitely for our agency because up to now, actually as of April 2024, there are 110 municipalities that have no firetrucks and fire stations,” said Atienza.
Atienza said the fund will be used to acquire firetrucks and establish fire stations in 110 municipalities.
“That is on our priority list now, including the procurement of equipment like PPEs (personal protective equipment)” said Atienza.
