The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has recorded a total of 18,217 fire incidents recorded nationwide from 1 January to 30 December this year, higher than the 16,387 fire occurrences during the same period in 2023.

The BFP noted in its 2024 recapitulation of fire incidents, the damage to property stood at P13,828,182,898.55, which is slightly higher than last year’s record of P13,151,733,240.98, a difference of 5.1 percent.

The number of civilian fatalities in the fire incidents also rose from 338 in 2024 compared to the 320 last year which is 5.8 percent higher while the 1,332 injured civilians this year were remarkably more than last year’s record of 1,047 over the same period.

BFP also lost two of their personnel this year, while there were none last year.

There were also 136 injured firefighters in 2024 who responded to fire incidents than the 89 wounded BFP men in 2023.

On a positive note, the BFP report showed that fire incidents in the residential areas in 2024 decreased to 7,561 from 7,616 last year.

The BFP added that this year’s 763 fire incidents in the mercantile occupancies were lower than the record of 829 in the same period in 2023 while the 385 fire occurrences in the industrial areas in 2024 were also down from the 449 incidents last year.

In the same report, the BFP recorded 1,463 fire incidents from “open flame from rubbish fire/bonfire to structural fire in 2024, up compared to the record of 1,107 over the same period of last year.”

The BFP pointed out that 625 causes of fires were due to open flame from farmland/agricultural and land clearing operations this year which is more than the 336 similar cases in the same period of 2023.

There were also 752 fire incidents due to “electrical ignition caused by loose connections’’ this year compared to the 1,683 in 2023, while fire incidents due to electrical ignition caused by arcing in 2024 were 1,255, which is more than double than the 2,722 recorded in the previous year.

Electrical arcing occurs when an electrical current jumps from one connection point to another, or between two conductors, through the air.

It can happen when there is a gap in the circuit, or when wiring is faulty, loose or deteriorated, causing a bright flash, a loud popping or cracking noise or sparks.

The BFP data also disclosed that there were 999 fire incidents from “smoking/lighted cigarette, cigar or pipe this year compared to the record of 1,441 in 2023 while 852 fire incidents from open flame cooking were recorded in 2024, which lower than the 1,451 in the previous year.”

Under the 2024 classification of fire incidents, the BFP said that 10,362 were accidental compared to 15,699 in 2023, 155 were natural, up from last year’s figure of 64, 66 were incendiary/intentional, remarkably down from last year’s record of 453 and 67 fire cases with negligent acts, which is an increase from the 19 such incidents last year.

Compared to the 121 fire cases under investigation in 2023, this year’s record ballooned to 7,581 while the undermined cause of fire incidents is at 24 compared to the 33 in the same period of the previous year.