Chungnam, 366 Livestock Barn Fires in the Last 5 Years... Causes Include Electrical Overload

In June, a fire caused by electrical factors occurred at a poultry farm located in Sinpung-myeon, Gongju-si. Photo by Chungnam Fire Headquarters

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The Chungnam Provincial Fire Headquarters has urged caution to prevent fires in livestock facilities during the heatwave.

According to the provincial fire headquarters on the 2nd, a total of 366 fires have occurred in livestock facilities within the jurisdiction over the past five years. There were 3 casualties (injuries) and property damage amounting to approximately 17.2 billion KRW due to these fires.

By location, pigsties accounted for the most fires with 166 cases, followed by cow barns with 101 cases, and chicken coops with 99 cases.

The main cause of fires was identified as electrical factors (42%). In addition, carelessness (19%) and mechanical factors (15%) were also cited as causes of fires in livestock facilities.

The provincial fire headquarters believes that the possibility of fires caused by short circuits or electric leakage has increased as the operation time of cooling and ventilation systems inside livestock facilities has increased to prevent livestock deaths due to the summer heatwave.

For example, in August last year, a fire started from an overheated ventilation fan used for a long time in a pigsty in Daesul-myeon, Yesan-gun, which spread to a sandwich panel structure building, causing damage worth about 70 million KRW. In the same year, in September, a fire occurred in an empty livestock facility in Gyeolseong-myeon, Hongseong-gun, when sparks from welding work ignited the floor, resulting in property damage worth about 30 million KRW.

In June, a fire caused by electrical factors broke out at a poultry farm in Sinpung-myeon, Gongju-si, and was extinguished by the dispatched fire brigade, but property damage worth about 100 million KRW had already occurred.

Accordingly, the provincial fire headquarters recommends checking electrical facilities in advance and immediately replacing old outlets and plugs with new ones to prevent summer livestock facility fires.

They also emphasize regularly inspecting the condition of wire insulation inside and outside the livestock facilities, checking the operation of leakage breakers, and periodically removing dust and cobwebs around electrical equipment.

Kang Jong-beom, head of the Prevention and Safety Division at the provincial fire headquarters, stated, “Unlike other fires, fires in livestock facilities spread rapidly, and the damage to the animals raised along with the buildings is also significant. It is important to always use electricity safely and make efforts to prevent fires.”