Gyeonggi-do Fire Incidents Decreased by 8.4% Last Year... Property Damage Increased by 142%

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The number of fires that occurred in Gyeonggi Province last year decreased by 8.4% compared to the previous year (2020). However, despite the decrease in fires, property damage surged by 142%.

According to the "2021 Gyeonggi Province Fire Occurrence Status Analysis" announced by the Gyeonggi Provincial Fire and Disaster Headquarters on the 4th, the number of fires in Gyeonggi Province last year was 8,169, down 8.4% (751 cases) from 8,920 cases the previous year.

Casualties totaled 491 people (66 deaths and 425 injuries), a 6.8% decrease compared to the previous year (114 deaths and 485 injuries). However, property damage recorded 779.3 billion KRW, a 142% increase from 321.9 billion KRW the previous year.

By location, non-residential facilities accounted for 3,508 cases, making up 42.9%. This was followed by residential areas with 2,082 cases (25.5%), outdoor and roads with 1,256 cases (15.4%), and vehicles with 1,146 cases (14%).

Among non-residential facilities, factories (24.7%) and restaurants (14.9%) had many fires, while among residential facilities, apartments (32.1%) and detached houses (22.5%) recorded many fires.

The causes of ignition were negligence with 3,409 cases, accounting for 41.7% of the total. This was followed by electrical causes with 2,504 cases (30.7%) and mechanical causes with 1,216 cases (14.9%). Among negligence causes, fires caused by cigarette butts (28.3%), cooking (16.7%), and unattended fire sources (13.3%) were common.

Choi Byung-il, head of the Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters, said, "Last year, we conducted the first-ever rooftop evacuation facility survey targeting all multi-family housing in the province nationwide. This year, we will expand it to dormitories and officetels to provide evacuation information to residents and focus on preventing fires in residential facilities." He added, "We will establish a disaster preparedness safety net without blind spots through strong prevention activities, establishment of fire safety order, and active expansion of fire infrastructure."

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