Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters Reports 38% of Fire Incidents in Distribution Panels from July to September

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters has warned that fires in distribution and panel boards (power supply devices) have been concentrated in the summer season over the past five years.

A distribution board is a device that receives power directly from power lines and supplies power to multiple panel boards. A panel board receives power from the distribution board through main lines and supplies power to end loads.

The Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters announced on the 18th that from 2016 to 2020, a total of 1,154 electrical equipment fires, including distribution and panel boards, occurred in Gyeonggi-do over five years.

These incidents caused 38 casualties including injuries and resulted in property damage worth 18.7 billion KRW.

In particular, 438 cases, accounting for 38%, occurred between July and September.

By location, residential facilities accounted for the highest at 31.3% (361 cases), followed by industrial facilities such as factories and warehouses at 25.4% (293 cases), and others (outdoor construction sites, utility pole distribution boards) at 16.8% (194 cases).

The frequent fires in residential facilities were attributed to rainwater entering distribution and panel boards and meters installed on the exterior walls of detached houses.

By cause, electrical factors accounted for an overwhelming 89% (1,028 cases), followed by lightning strikes at 5% (58 cases), and mechanical factors at 2.3% (26 cases).

Hwang Won-cheol, head of the fire investigation team at the Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters, advised, "To prevent fires, it is essential to ensure that moisture and dust do not penetrate equipment such as distribution and panel boards, and to pay special attention to replacing aged equipment. Regular electrical equipment inspections by professional organizations and the placement of fire extinguishers around distribution and panel boards are absolutely necessary."

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