FORUM. Dumaguete City fire marshal Chief Insp. Marlon Chomling (left) and Negros Oriental provincial fire marshal Supt. Noel Nelson Ababon present data during a forum on Wednesday (March 13, 2024) as the country commemorates Fire Prevention Month. At least 64 fire incidents were already recorded this year. (PNA photo by Mary Judaline Flores Partlow)
DUMAGUETE CITY – The Bureau of Fire Protection chief in Negros Oriental has sounded the alarm over the continued rise in the number of fire incidents in the province during the first quarter of the year.
The province has recorded 64 fire incidents, structural and non-structural, since January 1, according to Supt. Noel Nelson Ababon, provincial fire marshal, during a forum hosted by the Philippine Information Agency.
Of the number, structural fires totaled 30, while non-structural fires totaled 34 as of March 5, Ababon said.
The country commemorates March as fire prevention month.
In 2023, the BFP responded to 222 fire incidents, with a monthly average of 18.
Ababon said the ongoing El Niño was one of the major factors that contributed to the high incidence of fire.
“For me, this is now alarming but we have to consider El Niño this year, a factor that could have contributed to the rise in fire incidents due to the extreme heat brought about by the phenomenon,” he said in Cebuano.
Ababon said the most common cause of the fire was electrical, although some were ignited by open flame.
Many cases this year are still under investigation as fire investigators are given 45 days to determine the cause of a fire, he said.
Another factor that heightened fire risks is flammable items in homes, such as furniture made out of synthetic materials, he added.
The provincial fire marshal is hopeful that with various interventions, the number of fire incidents in Negros Oriental will be fewer than last year.
The BFP here is already implementing the Community Fire Protection Plan in every barangay, with one fire personnel assigned in each village.
Meanwhile, Chief Insp. Marlon Chomling, city fire marshal here, identified at least nine barangays that are 'fire-prone', usually due to dense populations.
These are the barangays of Bagacay, Looc, Calindagan, Bajumpandan, Banilad, Bantayan, Piapi, Daro, and Talay, Chomling said.
The city fire chief disclosed they are proposing to establish sub-stations, especially in outskirts barangays to cut down on response time.
Chomling is also hopeful that additional fire hydrants will be established in this capital city.
Ababon, also urged local leaders to seek additional funding for the procurement of more fire trucks.
He admitted that the current fleet of 34 fire trucks in the province is not enough if fire callouts happen simultaneously. (PNA)
