Chungnam Fire Department "Frequent Winter Livestock Barn Fires, Caution Advised"

Firefighters are conducting fire suppression activities at a pigsty located in Janggok-myeon, Hongseong-gun, where a fire occurred last January. Photo by Chungnam Fire Headquarters

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The Chungnam Provincial Fire Headquarters has urged caution against winter livestock barn fires.

According to the provincial fire headquarters on the 8th, a total of 366 livestock barn-related fires occurred in the region during the winter season over the past five years. By type of barn, pig barns recorded the highest number with 166 cases, followed by cow barns with 101 cases, and chicken coops with 99 cases.

By cause of fire, electrical factors accounted for 42% of the total fires. This was followed by negligence at 19%, and mechanical factors at 15%.

Property damage caused by livestock barn fires over the past five years has been estimated to exceed 17.2 billion KRW.

The provincial fire headquarters recommends inspecting heating appliances that have been left unused for long periods in each barn before use, and replacing old outlets and plugs with new ones to prevent winter livestock barn fires.

They also emphasized the need to frequently check the condition of wire insulation inside and outside the barns, verify the operation of leakage circuit breakers, and regularly remove dust and cobwebs around electrical equipment.

Kang Jong-beom, head of the Prevention and Safety Division at the provincial fire headquarters, said, “Many barns are built with sandwich panels that are vulnerable to fire, making them highly susceptible to fires. We ask for attention and effort to prevent fires, such as installing fire alarms to detect fires early and using electrical equipment safely on a regular basis.”

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