BAGUIO City has seen a string of fires in its jurisdiction, nearing half of all fires last year in only three months of 2023, according to the Baguio City Fire Bureau (BCFB).
According to the BCFB Superintendent Marisol Odiver, the vast majority of fires in the city are caused by burning garbage and cigarette butts.
In the first three months of 2023 alone, the city saw some 28 fire incidents, including the blaze that razed portions of the Baguio City Public Market, almost half of the 61 total incidents recorded throughout the entirety of 2022.
14 of the cases this year so far, accounting for the majority, were forest fires, eight were structural fires and six were vehicular fires.
This is in contrast to last year, where the BCFB responded to 61 fire incidents where 40 were structural, four were grass, rubbish and vehicular fires respectively, three were forest fires and two electrical fires.
According to Odiver, private residences are especially at risk of fires as private residences are not required to secure a Fire Safety Inspection Certificate, unlike commercial establishments.
