Chungnam, 2,701 Electrical Fires in the Last 5 Years... 40.6% Cause Unknown

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] A total of 2,701 electrical-related fires have been reported in Chungnam over the past five years. Among these, 1,097 cases (40.6% of the total) showed signs of cut wires (short-circuit traces), but the causes of the wire cuts were not identified.

According to the Chungnam Fire Headquarters on the 14th, electrical-related fires in the region were recorded as 490 cases in 2017, 565 in 2018, 537 in 2019, 538 in 2020, and 574 last year.

The fires resulted in a total of 43 casualties, including 10 deaths, and property damage worth approximately 29.1 billion KRW.

By cause, unidentified short circuits accounted for the largest proportion. This was followed by insulation softening (a phenomenon where the function of preventing electricity or heat conduction gradually weakens) short circuits with 389 cases (14.4%), and overload/overcurrent with 272 cases (10.1%).

By region, Seobuk-gu in Cheonan recorded the highest number of electrical-related fires with 302 cases, followed by Asan with 288 cases (10.6%), and Dangjin with 252 cases (9.3%).

By location, residential facilities accounted for 736 cases (27.2%), industrial facilities 653 cases (24.1%), and automobile/railroad facilities 362 cases (13.4%). By period, fire frequency was concentrated in July to August at 20.2% and December to January at 19.7%, when the use of electrical appliances such as air conditioners and heaters is high.

The Fire Headquarters plans to develop and implement preventive measures to reduce electrical fire occurrences based on data analysis results.

They will focus on inspecting fire safety facilities in aging residential buildings such as apartments and regularly visiting and managing fire-prone facilities like livestock barns. Additionally, they will expand electrical safety education through community leaders’ councils and neighborhood meetings closely connected to residents' daily lives.

They also plan to establish a basis for supporting the installation of safety new technology products and automatic fire extinguishing devices for fire-vulnerable groups such as basic livelihood security households.