Members of the public are constantly reminded to avoid overloading and not to do electrical wiring on their own. The reminder was made by the Fire and Rescue Department following findings of such negligence being the main cause of fire incidents in the country. According to the department’s statistics, there were 79 cases of house and building fires reported from January to June this year.
From the figure, 24 building fires were recorded with an estimated loss of over $1.7 million for major cases, and estimated loss of nearly $6,000 for minor cases. Meanwhile, 55 house fires were recorded with an estimated loss of over $1.2 million for major cases, and estimated loss of more than $4,000 for minor cases.
The main causes of structure fires are electrical with 53 cases, and negligence with 19 cases including cooking left unattended.
For forest and bush fires, 213 cases have been recorded. From the figure, 106 cases were forest fires. The forest and bush fires have affected 257.58 hectares of land, which was the size of 103 football fields. 105 out of 213 cases were from the Brunei Muara District.
From January to June this year, the Fire and Rescue Department recorded 39 cases of vehicle fires, 12 accidents and 4 cases of accidents involving fire. The department will continue its initiative to raise the public’s awareness of safety aspects and dealing with emergencies.
Source: Radio Television Brunei