P24.8-B property losses from fire disclosed

Property worth P24.84 billion went up in smoke nationwide in the last five years, statistics from the Bureau of Fire Protection disclosed.

The National Capital Region registered the biggest property losses with a total of P10.65 billion or 57 percent of the total due to various fire incidents in the last five years, from 1997 to 2001, the study showed. The biggest losses reported in one single year occurred in the National Capital Region last year, when NCR registered total losses of P3.361 billion from P1.184 billion in 2000, or an unprecedented rise by 184 percent. The enormous losses in the NCR pushed up the aggregate property losses from fire nationwide to P6.136 billion from P3.512 billion in 2000, or an increase of 42.8 percent, the study reported.

BFP chief Francisco Senot said the huge losses from fire in the last five years underscores its adverse impact on the economy. He said statistics from BFP does not show the far-reaching effects of such losses in terms of job displacements of office and factory workers and losses from potential earnings of business establishments that burned.

Senot also disclosed losses of human lives due to fire for the last five years based on the annual Fire Incident Report Nationwide of BFP.

The consolidated five-year report revealed that a total of 1,231 died in various fires, 17 of them fire fighters who died in the line of duty, and 1,214 civilians. The injured totaled 2,650, 342 of them fire fighters and 2,308 civilians.

Besides, NCR, six regions also registered the biggest property losses due to fire in the last five years. The six are Region 11, which reported losses of P1.636 billion; Region 4, P1.477 billion; Region 7, P1.106 billion; Region 8, P960.71 million; Region 6, P893.72 million; and Region 5, P890.54 million.