Seoul Traditional Markets Have the Most Fires in February: "Be Careful of Fire"

Statistical Analysis of the Past 5 Years (2018~2022)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters urged compliance with fire prevention and safety rules on the 7th of February, based on an analysis of fires, disasters, and safety accidents that occurred over the past five years (2018?2022).

According to the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters, during the statistical analysis period, 2,151 fires occurred in February, accounting for 7.8% of all fires, which is an 18.2% decrease compared to January. Casualties totaled 128 people, including 21 deaths.

By cause of fire, careless fires were the most frequent with 1,224 cases, including 499 cases caused by discarded cigarette butts. Fires caused by leaving ignition sources such as embers or flames unattended also numbered 130, making it the second highest throughout the year.

By location, fires in residential facilities were the most common with 849 cases, followed by fires in lifestyle service facilities and sales/business facilities. Notably, among sales/business facilities, traditional markets experienced 15 fires, the highest number in February throughout the year.

Meanwhile, from 2018 to last year, there were a total of 60,664 119 emergency dispatches related to safety accidents in February.

Among these, traffic accident dispatches numbered 2,655, making it the second highest throughout the year following January. This is attributed to the effects of black ice, a thin invisible ice layer during winter.

Additionally, dispatches to rescue people trapped in buildings and vehicles totaled 1,388, showing an increase of 460 cases (49.6%↑) compared to the previous month.

Son Byungdu, the Field Response Director of the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters, stated, “This winter, due to frequent cold waves, an increase in electricity usage is expected, which raises the risk of large-scale disasters, especially fires in traditional markets, higher than ever before.” He added, “We ask for special attention and caution from facility managers and citizens.”