Hapcheon-gun Urges Caution to Prevent Barn Fires in the Area

Fire Occurs in Pig and Poultry Barns
Farmers Urged to Exercise Extra Caution

Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongnam Province, urged livestock farmers in the area to strictly comply with key measures to prevent barn fires.

According to the county on the 23rd, due to the recent large temperature differences between day and night and the drop in temperature, the use of electric heaters and other electrical devices in barns has increased, causing two fires this month alone due to short circuits, electric leakage, and overheating.

Barn fires occur in winter when the weather becomes dry and temperatures drop, caused by aging electrical facilities, excessive use of heating devices, and careless management. Especially in pig and poultry barns, many fires occur, requiring special attention from farmers.

Photo of livestock farm in Hapcheon-gun.

To prevent barn fires, it is most important to ▲safely inspect heating devices such as electric heaters and wiring ▲use electricity appropriate to the farm size and request inspection and repair of electrical facilities from professional companies ▲regularly clean dust and cobwebs around wires and electrical devices ▲prohibit octopus-style wiring ▲immediately replace aging switches, circuit breakers, and wires ▲conduct piping work for wires that may be damaged by rodents ▲replace wires with heat-resistant and weather-resistant ones in harsh environments ▲maintain cleanliness by removing dust inside distribution boards, exposed wires, and electrical machinery and devices ▲equip fire extinguishers inside barns and secure fire truck access routes.

Hapcheon-gun has established a comprehensive winter livestock disaster prevention plan and is operating a livestock disaster prevention task force until March 31. It plans to conduct frequent pre-inspections of barn facilities and monitor operational conditions.

Additionally, to stabilize the management of livestock farmers through prompt recovery by compensating for losses in case of disasters, the county plans to encourage enrollment in livestock disaster insurance and expand support projects for repairing electrical safety facilities in barns.

Kim Yong-jun, head of the Livestock Division, said, “Prevention is the priority to avoid fires that frequently occur in winter. We earnestly ask farmers to carefully check and improve key measures to protect their valuable property.”