BFP warns vs substandard Christmas lights

CEBU, Philippines – To prevent fire incidence, the Bureau of Fire Protection-Mandaue City has asked the public to be meticulous in choosing Christmas lights, as these can also be one of the leading causes of fire this holiday season.

"Apil sa atong information dissemination ang pagpahimangno sa mga tawo against the use of substandard Christmas lights kay kuyaw pud ni siya sa sunog," said Senior Fire Officer 4 Roy Garcia, head of BFP-Mandaue City operations.

Garcia said so far there has been no report of Christmas lights-related fire incidents in Mandaue City since 2014, but the public, he said, should not wait for one to happen to become very careful.

He said the fire department cannot stop vendors from selling substandard Christmas lights as it is not part of their job, hence they can only remind the public on the possible consequences if they choose low-priced products than the quality ones.

Garcia admitted that people still go on buying the cheap Christmas lights, which can be bought anywhere, thereby increasing the chances of fire incidents.

He said if this cannot be prevented, household owners should not leave their Christmas lights on overnight, as this can likely heat up, causing sparks and then fire. He said the wires of these lights are so thin and so is its plastic coating that can easily melt due to prolonged heat.

"Nindot tan-awon ang mga colorful lights, pero careful pud ta kay basin makatug ta unya nasunog na diay atong Christmas lights," Garcia said.

Earlier, the BPF-Mandaue had warned the public of the use of illegal firecrackers to also avoid fire incidents.

Last year, the city did not record any firecracker-related fire incident too, and Garcia said that is what they want to maintain. Hence, he said they are constantly telling the people what they need to do to keep their homes safe from fire.

Last week, however, the city recorded fire incidents although it was not yet known what had caused them. (FREEMAN)