Average of 446 Fires in June Over the Past 5 Years... "Beware of Cooling Equipment Fires and Roadbed Collapse"

2,228 Fires in June, 11 Deaths Reported... Accounting for 8% of All Fires
33 Cooling Equipment Fires Including Air Conditioner Fires in June... 23 More Than in May

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Over the past five years until last year, the average number of fires occurring in June was 446 per year, accounting for 8% of all fires, with casualties reaching 105 people, including 11 deaths.

According to the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters on the 8th, from 2017 to 2021, there were 2,228 fires in June during the statistical analysis period, accounting for 7.9% of all fires. Casualties totaled 105 people, including 11 deaths.

By cause of fire, electrical fires numbered 514, an increase of 40 cases (8.4%) compared to May. Additionally, fires caused by cooling devices, including 18 air conditioner fires, totaled 33 cases, showing an increase of 23 cases compared to the previous month.

Regarding the ignition types of cooling device fires, short circuits caused by damaged wire insulation were the most frequent with 6 cases, followed by short circuits due to poor contact (such as faulty wire joints) with 5 cases, and overheating and overload with 4 cases.

In response, the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters urged special caution in fire prevention during June, when the use of cooling devices such as air conditioners rapidly increases, recommending electrical wiring inspections and outdoor unit cleaning before using air conditioners.

Meanwhile, from 2019 to 2021, there were 43,233 emergency 119 dispatches related to safety accidents in June. In particular, due to seasonal factors such as guerrilla heavy rains, collapse accidents of road surfaces and other ground collapses (53 cases) increased by 5 cases (10.4%) compared to May.

Jung Gyo-cheol, head of the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters Field Response Team, said, “June is a time when social distancing is lifted and summer heat begins, making it easy for safety awareness to relax,” and added, “We once again ask citizens for their attention and caution regarding fires and safety accidents.”

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