Bureau of Fire Protection reports 220 fires in Metro for December

MANILA, Philippines - A total of 220 fire incidents occurred from Dec. 1 to 29 or an average of 7.5 fire incidents broke out daily in Metro Manila, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said.

The BFP reported that there were 373 fire incidents nationwide during the first 29 days of December during which 21 persons died, 27 injured and P140 million worth of property were destroyed.

Of the 373 fires, the BFP said 220 incidents were recorded in the National Capital Region (NCR), followed by Central Luzon, where the town of Bocaue, considered the firecracker capital of the Philippines is located.

Chief Superintendent Rodrigo Abrazaldo, BFP Director for Fire Safety and Prevention, said of the 220 fires in the NCR, six were firecracker-related while Christmas lights reportedly sparked one fire.

Although pyrotechnic devices caused many fires, BFP officials said many fires broke out in crowded areas where there was huge volume of electrical usage.

The BFP-NCR is coordinating with barangay officials in Metro Manila for intensive training in the Barangay Integrated Defense Action (BIDA), a program designed to educate barangay officials to help combat fire incidents.

There are 1,694 barangays in Metro Manila.

Records showed that in 2008, BFP-NCR responded to a total of 3,726 fire calls or an average of 10 fire incidents in a day and a total of 66 deaths and 311 injuries.

In terms of property damage and casualties, the figures have a collective total estimated damage of P629.809 million or P1.725 million a day. – Cecille Suerte Felipe