41 die in 4,672 fire incidents last year

JEDDAH — A study has revealed that 41 people died in fire at residential buildings during the past year, Al-Madina reported. A source said the study also stated that there were 4,672 fire incidents at residential buildings during the past year. “Residential buildings fire incidents total up to 26 percent of all fire incidents during the past year. A total of 41 people died due to these fire incidents and 291 people were injured. Sixty-two of the fire incidents took place in residential apartments, totaling to 2,787 incidents,” said the source. The source also said 22 percent of the fire incidents took place in traditional houses with 846 recorded incidents. “Eight percent of the residential fire incidents took place in residential villas with a total of 366 incidents. Five to 7 percent of the residential fire incidents took place in other residential buildings. One to two percent of incidents occurred in hotels and furnished apartments,” said the source. He also said the low rate of fire incidents at hotels and furnished apartments is an indicator of the effectiveness of the Civil Defense’s safety and security regulations. “The other 97 percent of fire incidents in residential buildings happened in private properties. All of the incidents could have been avoided or could have been less detrimental had the people living in the buildings properly followed safety and security regulations,” said the source. The source added the study indicates that there needs to be more awareness among the general public of the importance of safety and security regulations. “Many of the houses had no fire alarms. Manydid not even have a fire extinguisher in their cars or their homes. A lot of people are not careful when using electricity cables and gas cylinders,” said the source. Makkah Civil Defense Director Lt. Gen. Salim Al-Mitrafi said his directorate is organizing a campaign titled “What Can Happen In Minutes”. “The campaign targets schools and educational institutes in order to reach as many people as possible. The campaign that began in December, The campaign reached 42 schools in Makkah province and 13,873 students participated in the campaign,” said Al-Mitrafi.