'Cigarette Butts' Caused Industrial Facility Fire Damage... 1 in 3 'Negligence' Fires

32% of Fires Caused by Carelessness... Cigarette Butts 22.5% → Welding/Cutting 20.5% → Leaving Embers 17.8% → Trash Burning 14.4% 순

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The most common cause of industrial facility fires was found to be 'carelessness,' with 'cigarette butts' accounting for one in five major ignition factors. Careless welding and cutting, leaving embers unattended, and burning trash were also identified as major causes of fires.

On the 21st, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that an analysis of industrial facility fires over the past 10 years from 2010 to 2019 showed that both human casualties and property damage have been steadily increasing. Industrial facility fires, which numbered 5,354 in 2010, decreased to 5,007 in 2015 but surged again to 6,151 in 2017, with more than 5,000 incidents occurring annually since then. Property damage also increased more than threefold, from 113.1 billion KRW in 2010 to 345.1 billion KRW in 2019.

Human casualties were also significant. Over the five years from 2015 to 2019, there were 27,985 industrial facility fires resulting in 91 deaths and 1,224 injuries, totaling 1,315 casualties. In particular, industrial facility fires in January were concentrated, with 2,946 incidents?1.3 times the monthly average of 2,332 cases?occurring that month.

'Carelessness' was identified as the biggest factor in industrial facility fires. Fires caused by carelessness accounted for 31.7% (8,859 out of 27,985 cases) of the total, making it the largest share. Electrical causes such as poor contact and overload accounted for 28.3% (7,932 cases), and mechanical causes such as poor maintenance and aging accounted for 17.4% (4,878 cases). Among the 'carelessness' fires, those caused by cigarette butts were the most frequent at 22.5% (1,995 out of 8,859 cases). This was followed by welding and cutting at 20.5% (1,812 cases), leaving embers unattended at 17.8% (1,575 cases), and trash burning at 14.4% (1,272 cases).

Accordingly, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety emphasized the need for special caution to prevent fires caused by cigarette butts by installing separate smoking areas within industrial facilities and placing non-flammable metal trash bins. To prevent freezing in industrial facilities, when using heating wires or electric heaters in water tanks, alarms should be installed to notify when temperatures exceed a certain level, and fire extinguishers must be provided wherever fire is handled.

Kim Jong-han, Director of the Prevention and Safety Policy Division at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, "Damage from fires occurring in factories or workplaces is increasing every year, and fires can grow uncontrollably in the blink of an eye. Whether handling fire sources such as welding or even disposing of very small cigarette butts, it is essential to ensure they are completely extinguished and to pay close attention to fire safety."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.