BFP: NCR fire incidents at 9

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in the National Capital Region (NCR) logged nine fire incidents on the first day of the New Year 2025.

In a radio interview on Wednesday, BFP spokesperson Fire Senior Supt. Annalee Carbajal-Atienza said one fire incident has been confirmed, while details for the other eight are still being verified.

“So far, the report that reached the National Headquarters was that there was one fire incident. However, in our unofficial report, in NCR we noted nine fire incidents from 12:17 a.m. until 5:21 a.m.,” she said.

Citing reports, the BFP spokesperson confirmed that a third-alarm fire broke out at a general merchandise building in Malabon City at around 5 a.m., but no casualties were recorded. She noted that the cause of the fire remains under investigation as of this press time.

She said that one of the leading causes of fires during the New Year celebration is the use of firecrackers.

“There were incidents caused by firecrackers, and it’s because of the mechanism. For example, is kwitis, once it goes up, we cannot control where it would go,” she said.

“Whether a firecracker or firework is considered legal or not, it may be a cause of fire. Another example is a fountain. If we don’t improvise a stable holder for it, there are tendencies that it would fall on its side, and the embers of fire might accidentally go to houses made of light materials or worse, injure spectators,” she added.