Chungnam Fire Department: "3 out of 10 Fires Annually Occur in Spring... Caution Advised"

In Chungnam, 3 out of every 10 fires that occur throughout the year are concentrated in the spring season (March to May).

Last spring, a fire broke out at a livestock barn in Chungnam, with flames soaring high into the sky. Provided by Chungnam Province

According to the Chungnam Fire Headquarters on the 28th, a total of 11,045 fires have occurred in the region over the past five years. Among these, 3,294 cases (29.8%) occurred between March and May, confirming that the proportion of fires throughout the year is concentrated in the spring season.

During the same period, there were 122 casualties caused by spring fires, accounting for 31.2% of the total 390 casualties.

This is why heightened awareness of spring fires is necessary. Above all, more than half of the causes of spring fires are attributed to carelessness.

In fact, among the 3,294 fires that occurred from March to May over the past five years, 1,723 cases (52.3%) were caused by carelessness. Additionally, cigarette butts accounted for 416 cases (24.1%), garbage burning 359 cases (20.8%), leaving embers unattended 257 cases (14.9%), and burning of fields and forests 175 cases (10.2%) were identified as major causes of spring fires.

By location, fires in buildings such as residential facilities and factories accounted for 1,899 cases (57.7%), forest fires 456 cases (13.8%), and vehicle fires 411 cases (12.5%), in that order.

Considering the seasonal characteristics of concentrated spring fires, the Chungnam Fire Headquarters plans to promote fire prevention measures and focus on eliminating fire risk factors in advance.

First, fire station chiefs will directly visit large construction sites to conduct guidance inspections, and safety manuals in six foreign languages, including Chinese, will be distributed for foreign workers.

Also, unannounced fire safety inspections will be conducted at 318 multi-use facilities where large-scale casualties are a concern in the event of a fire, cracking down on illegal acts such as blocking emergency exits and cutting off power to fire facilities.

Fire safety inspections will be carried out at 828 apartment complexes and livestock facilities to remove hazards in advance, and the distribution of automatic spread extinguishers will continue for households using wood-fired boilers, which are vulnerable to fire.

Kim Yeonsang, head of the Chungnam Fire Headquarters, said, “Cases of fires caused by carelessness in spring leading to casualties occur every year without fail,” and added, “We ask residents to actively participate in fire prevention to minimize damage caused by spring fires.”

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