Holiday Fire Warning... "Be Careful with Fire"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] During the Lunar New Year holiday, the use of fire-related tools such as cooking equipment increases, naturally leading to frequent fire incidents. Additionally, due to the impact of COVID-19, more people are expected to spend the holiday at home, making fire prevention in residential areas especially important.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the 12th, from 2016 to last year, there were a total of 2,132 fire incidents during the Lunar New Year holiday period, resulting in 18 deaths and 80 injuries.

The average number of residential fires per day during the Lunar New Year holiday was 43, which is higher than the recent five-year daily average of 31 residential fires. This year, due to COVID-19, it is expected that people will spend the holiday at home or in small lodging facilities, so efforts must be made to prevent fires in residential facilities.

Most residential fires (58.1%) were caused by carelessness. Among these, fires that occurred during cooking were the most frequent, followed by fires caused by unattended flames and discarded cigarette butts. The most frequent times for fire incidents were between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on the day before Lunar New Year's Day, when food preparation is in full swing, and between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Lunar New Year's Day and the following day.

Cooking oils and other edible oils used in preparing holiday foods can cause fires if overheated. If cooking oil overheats and catches fire, first turn off the gas valve or power supply. Spraying water at this time can cause the fire to spread because the combination of oil vapor and steam intensifies the flames, and water can spread burning oil, worsening the fire. While commonly used powder fire extinguishers have a temporary effect, they do not cool the high-temperature oil, making re-ignition likely. Therefore, a kitchen-specific Class K fire extinguisher should be prepared and used.

Fires can also easily occur while using kitchen electrical appliances such as microwaves. If a fire breaks out, first cut off the power supply, and be careful not to open the door recklessly, as this can cause the fire to grow.

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