Fire Incidents in the First Half of This Year Down 4.4% Compared to Previous Year... Casualties Also Down 4.2%

The total number of fire incidents nationwide in the first half of this year was 21,277, showing a 4.4% decrease compared to 22,254 incidents during the same period last year (January to June 2022). Casualties from fires also decreased by 4.2% compared to the same period last year, with 173 people dead and 1,157 injured.

The National Fire Agency released the analysis results of fire incidents from January to June this year on the 23rd to improve public safety awareness and establish effective fire prevention policies based on fire occurrence data.

Looking at the statistics by fire occurrence location, fires on railways, ships, aircraft, and fires at hazardous materials and gas manufacturing plants significantly decreased compared to the same period last year, while vehicle fire incidents were the only category that increased. In particular, by cause of ignition, careless fires such as those caused by cigarette butts remained the most frequent, as in the previous year, but unlike last year, fires caused by natural factors increased significantly.

Fires caused by natural factors refer to those primarily triggered by natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons, and lightning strikes, or fires ignited naturally through effects like magnification by lenses. This is analyzed to be due to the recent increase in fires caused by natural disasters such as lightning strikes.

Additionally, the forest fire that occurred in Gangneung, Gangwon Province in April this year is also presumed to be caused by natural factors. Notably, the April Gangneung forest fire resulted in the highest number of casualties among fires in the first half of this year, with 1 person dead and 37 injured.

Kim Jo-il, Director of the 119 Response Bureau at the National Fire Agency, stated, “The increase in fires caused by natural factors, such as the Gangneung fire in April which caused significant damage, is a representative example showing the changing nature of disasters. We will strive to respond quickly and effectively to changes in the disaster environment through analysis of fire occurrence and damage status. We also ask the public to actively participate in following safety rules for fire prevention.”

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