January Has the Most Fires Annually, Carelessness Is the Leading Cause... Careless Cigarette Butts Ranked #1

35 Fire Deaths in January, Highest Recorded
195 Negligence Cases Due to Unattended Heaters, 302 Fires in Restaurants

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] January is the month with the highest number of fires throughout the year, with more than 180 casualties including deaths.

According to the Seoul Fire & Disaster Headquarters on the 11th, from 2016 to 2020, there were 2,795 fires in January, with 35 deaths caused by fires. January was the month with the most fires in the year, and casualties including deaths were recorded at 185.

By cause of fire, fires caused by negligence, including 543 cases of discarded cigarette butts, were the most frequent with 1,560 cases, and 195 fires occurred due to neglecting fire sources such as campfire embers.

Following fires caused by negligence, electrical fires were the next most frequent, with 660 cases during the target period. Among electrical fires, 248 were related to heating appliances, mainly due to increased use of electric blankets, cushions, and heating wires during the winter month of January.

By location, fires in residential facilities were the most common with 1,105 cases, followed by fires in living service facilities and sales/business facilities. Among living services, restaurants (302 cases), and among sales/business facilities, lodging facilities (36 cases) had the highest number of fires in January throughout the year.

Meanwhile, from 2016 to 2020, there were 50,965 emergency 119 dispatches related to safety accidents in January. In particular, safety accidents caused by cold waves and heavy snowfall included 2,851 traffic accidents, 1,800 cases of frozen pipe damage, and 1,494 icicle safety measures, all of which occurred most frequently in January throughout the year.

Choi Tae-young, head of the Seoul Fire & Disaster Headquarters, said, “In the new year of Im-in-nyeon (壬寅年), we ask for more attention and practice regarding safety,” and added, “Seoul Fire will do its best to serve as a safety guardian to protect the lives of citizens.”

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