Seoul Fire Department "Be Careful of Heating Equipment Fires in November"

The Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters announced on the 9th that heating equipment fires sharply increased in November compared to the previous month, based on an analysis of fires, disasters, and safety accidents that occurred over the past five years.

According to Seoul Fire Department, there were 2,032 fires in November from 2018 to 2022, accounting for 7.3% of all fires. The casualties totaled 165 people, including 17 deaths.

By cause of fire, careless fires accounted for 1,167 cases, representing 57.4% of all fires in November. Among these, fires caused by heating devices such as electric blankets numbered 73, more than three times the 20 cases recorded in the previous month.

Over the past five years, the number of 119 emergency dispatches related to safety accidents in November totaled 63,399. In particular, the number of traffic accident safety measures (2,586 cases) increased by 8.0% compared to the previous month. The number of traffic accident safety measures had been decreasing since August but rose again in November.

Lee Woong-gi, head of the on-site response team at the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters, said, "In November, as we enter early winter, small carelessness often leads to large fires," and added, "We ask for the interest and practice of citizens to ensure a safe winter free from disasters."

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