Residential Areas in the Philippines Are Not Covered By The Fire Code

The BFP has released fire statistics for 2023. Fire incidents, which are mostly residential, are up by 20.7% in 2023. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1879861/bfp-on-recording-15679-fires-in-2023

A total of 15,679 fire cases have been recorded in the country from January 1 to December 26, 2023, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said on Tuesday.

According to BFP spokesperson Fire Supt. Annalee Atienza, the latest figure is 20.7% higher than the previous year’s total of 12,000.

“The majority of these fire incidents are residential, as this is the problem we observe because residential areas are not covered by the fire code where an annual fire safety inspection is conducted,” said Atienza.

Atienza said the three primary recorded causes of fires are electrical ignition resulting from arching, electrical ignition caused by a loose connection, and fires caused by smoking or a lit cigarette.

With the New Year revelry nearing, Atienza also said that the BFP is currently on “Code Red.”

“In the Code Red status, all of us [in the BFP] need to respond in case our services are required,” said Atienza. “No one is allowed to take leave during this time because the full force of the entire BFP is needed.”

Atienza also said that the BFP has begun spreading fire prevention awareness through roving units and firetruck visibility programs, as well as consistently conducting inspections on manufacturers and sellers of firecrackers.

The BFP has been in “code red” since December 23 and will continue until January 1.

BFP spokesman Atienza notes that the majority of these incidents are residential. Residential fires in the Philippines are often very devastating because houses are compacted together and constructed of light materials. When one goes up the whole neighborhood is wiped out. 

https://www.cnnphilippines.com/regional/2023/12/12/lapu-lapu-cebu-fire-destruction.html

Around 600 houses were totally destroyed in a huge fire that hit a congested neighborhood in Barangay Pusok in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu on Tuesday afternoon.

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan estimated around 20,000 individuals were affected and rendered homeless because of the blaze that began past 1 p.m.

There are no reports of injuries, but most of the residents were not able to save their belongings.

The mayor said it could be the biggest fire ever recorded in Lapu-Lapu City.

Most of the houses in the neighborhood were made of light materials. Some of the houses were on stilts near the shores of the Mactan Channel.

But he also says that residential areas are not covered by the fire code. 

“The majority of these fire incidents are residential, as this is the problem we observe because residential areas are not covered by the fire code where an annual fire safety inspection is conducted,” said Atienza.

It is not clear if this means residential areas are not covered by the fire code in toto or only as it pertains to annual fire safety inspections. 

Whatever the case may be it is a fact that fires in residential areas area on the rise. Why not pass a law that all residential areas must be inspected? The BFP acknowledges that fires in residential areas are on the rise. So why not inspect them? The fact that poor people are allowed to build large incindienary blocks with no oversight is not good.

But the fact is nobody cares. No media is calling this out and no so-called opposition Senators are asking for an investigation as to why fires continue to occur at an alarming rate leaving many homeless. As long as houses made from light, flammable materials without any sort of inspection or expectance to heed to the fire code disasters like whole blocks going up in flames will continue to happen.